


The New Boy

by Bridthesin



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Break Up, Established Relationship, F/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sex, Smut, Sorry Not Sorry, Spoilers, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2018-05-31 02:56:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 32,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6452701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bridthesin/pseuds/Bridthesin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to "The Junkie and The New Girl" because I just couldn't help myself.</p><p>While Harry is dealing with the serious events of her past and trying to keep herself busy she brings home yet another stray. Only is this kid all he says he is?</p><p>No longer on hiatus, updated irregularly but it will be updated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Domestic Sorta Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While on their way to deal with a "little" problem for MacCready Hancock thinks about the past few months. Harry finally reveals the last secret from her past.

          Hancock was woken by screaming and jumped up, reaching automatically for the knife under his pillow, every muscle tensed under his scarred skin. It took a moment of regarding the broken down room before he realised what had happened and pulled a sobbing Harry into his arms, holding her as she shook,  
          “Shhhhh… it’s ok love… just a dream” he whispered into her hair and felt her arms curl around his back in a squeezing embrace, like he was her lifeline. After a while she pulled away and he looked into her beautiful (even when red rimmed from tears) eyes and smiled at her, “you ok sunshine? Wanna talk it over?”  
          “No… it’s nothing you haven’t heard before” she said, her voice trembling even though she was no longer sobbing or shaking,  
          “I know but it can help to talk it over” she shook her head anyway, he got the feeling she was fed up of telling him about her nightmares night after night when they never change. There was one thing he could do though, “coffee?”  
          “Yes, please” she told him with a soft, genuine smile her eyes lighting up just a little more. He knows how much a morning coffee means to her and had every member of their little gang of friends on high alert to bring any they find to Sanctuary meaning they always have at least a little of the stuff. He got up and tossed his girl a pack of cigarettes and a lighter after lighting one of his own and kissing the top of her head he slipped out the door to a messed up old kitchen.  
          It had been months now since they took down the institute and chased away the Brotherhood. Harry had buried her husband though she felt she had finished mourning him years ago, the Minutemen were going from strength to strength and all of their settlements were as close to self sufficient as they ever would be. After spending a week with the Railroad, organising where to put synth safe houses and another week making sure the settlements had regular provisioners travelling around them there was little more to do. Hancock had had to watch the woman he loves grow more and more restless, plagued by nightmares and the occasional flashback as the two of them wandered aimlessly around the Commonweath, it was enough to drive anyone mad.  
          Thankfully MacCready turned out to be their grubby guardian angel when he found them on a recent stop off at Sanctuary and, nervously, asked for a big favour. Harry had jumped at the chance to help him and not just to keep busy. Last night they had holed up in the closest thing they could find to safety, a boarded up old apartment that was surprisingly still intact if covered in the filth of hundreds of years of neglect. Mac scrambled off the damp, stinking sofa he had been sleeping on when he heard the door open, he’d have had no chance to get a shot off but Hancock still stood and watched him lift his short range rifle and point it at the ghoul before relaxing again,  
          “You have shit reflexes brother” Hancock told him, a smug look plastered on his ghoulish features and Mac pulled a childish face,  
          “I don’t exactly need them for sniping… more of a patient sport” he quipped as he laid the gun down on a coffee table, “how is she?”  
          “How would you be?” They all knew about Harry’s nightmares, it was hard to miss her screams even in the relative privacy they all had at the Castle or in Sanctuary and everyone was worried about the wasteland’s sweetheart,  
          “Making coffee?” The mercenary nodded at the pan Hancock was filling with purified water ready to be heated over a small cooking fire placed under a hole in the roof, as he stoked it the smoke rose, lazily drifting out through the hole. He nodded and went back to his business, which was when they heard the crash from the other room in this two bed apartment and knew the tinhead was awake. Danse came bursting through the door, laser pistol in hand and wearing power armour,  
          “I heard screaming” he asked, sounding every bit the soldier he would always be,  
          “Yea about ten minutes ago” Hancock told him, “you’re worse than Mac”  
          “I had some… trouble with my power armour” he blushed and looked to the ground, letting himself out of the X-01 suit with a hiss (no one had any idea where it had come from after the Brotherhood confiscated his old set but they all just accepted it, it was like it had grown from his very skin), “another nightmare?”  
          “Yea… third time this week, I don’t know what to do” Hancock mused, looking defeated,  
          “If it’s PTSD there is little we can do short of professional treatment or medication. The best course of action is to simply support her and help her to feel safe… and useful” Hancock wondered on how Danse knows quite so much about the subject but he figured it’s not his place to ask about it,  
          “Well I guess hunting down the gunners is good for her… go me” Mac added to the conversation after watching Danse slouch onto the sofa he had slept on,  
          “Yea… I’ll take her this” Hancock lifted a steaming mug in indication and left the other two to litter the furniture looking dejected. Back in the bedroom they had shared last night Harry was sat up on the dirty mattress that itself sat on a broken but still usable bed frame in the middle of the room, she was no longer shaking or pale and smiled at him warmly when he handed her the cup and flopped down beside her,  
          “Feelin better sunshine?” He asked her, running a hand up and down her soft, bare arm,  
          “Yea, thanks… I think I should tell you about some stuff though” she hesitated clearly watching for his reaction so he kept his face blank and noded for her to continue, “well you asked me about what happened to me before the vault and I told you a bit but… I’ve never told you the whole story. I guess I feel like you deserve to hear it, especially since it’s… you know, part of the nightmares and all”  
          “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to doll, you know that right?”  
          “I know but I want to… if you’re ok with it?”  
          “Course I am” he smiled, urging her to continue and trying to to seem too excited about finally hearing it all, finally knowing her whole life like she knows his,  
          “Well you know about my family being part of the mob” he nodded again “I grew up knowing so little about the world outside our little bubble of wealth and violence, no one told me anything, ever. Back then it was all taken so seriously, I was escorted everywhere and it took so much begging for them to let me go to a dance, my first one when I was 18. That’s where I met Nate and my brother threatened to kill him for talking to me” she smiled and looked down at the mug in her hands, like she was reliving a happy memory, “it didn’t stop him though and he started helping me sneak out, I told him everything… I didn’t exactly have a filter back then and I was just so happy to have someone new to talk to. He vowed to get me out of there when he was back from his next deployment, you know he was in the army right?”  
          “Yea you told me a while back”  
          “I did didn’t I… I forget sometimes. He was sent away, for three years and I was alone again, stuck with my family and so lonely… that’s when the worst experience of my life happened, well worst experience before being frozen for two hundred years and having my husband shot and my son kidnapped anyway. There was a rival family which I didn’t know at the time, my dad must have done something to make them angry because one night when I snuck out of the house alone they kidnapped me. I know they knew who I was because they took pleasure in telling me so, making sure I knew my dad was to blame like I didn’t hate him already. I was kept in a warehouse under guard and for two days they took care of me and gave me everything I asked for but I guess I was too much of a temptation, the virgin daughter of the rival boss and all. One of the guards slipped in one night, the other’s must not have noticed and I was asleep and weak and young, he had his hand over my mouth before he woke me. I tried to fight him off, I tried to scream for help…” her voice was faltering and her eyes were watering so the ghoul pulled her into a hug his stomach roiling, knowing where the story was going next without her having to say it, he just held her until she spoke up again, “he forced himself on me and after that I guess I was soiled goods already so… so they all… had ago”  
          “Shit sunshine” he couldn’t think of anything else to say, he wanted to reach into the past and keep her safe, stop all of these horrible things from happening but that wasn’t possible, all he could do now was hold her and make the future a happier place,  
          “They all died. I was found after less than a week and the place was shot to bits, every single one of them gutted and I wish I could say the sight of it made me sick, it should have, but it made me feel… well it was like vengeance and I guess it was good training for ending up in the wasteland. It wasn’t long after that Nate was injured and honourably discharged from the army, it made me so happy he would be home for good. We got married and ran away together with as much jewelry and money as we could carry which was enough to send me through a law degree and buy a house when he got a job. He suffered, he wasn’t great after coming home and he suffered so much but we managed to make it work and Shaun was the best thing to happen to me in a long time… then the vault and the bombs and… well you know the rest”  
          “I do… I think Nate would be proud of you”  
          “For what? Taking a lover… killing our only child… falling apart like I have been? The nightmares, I don’t only see Maxson” she still spat the name, although after killing him she could manage to say it without wincing, “I see those men, their faces and I see what happened to them afterwards and I feel guilty for how I felt about it”  
          “You shouldn’t, I would have done a lot worse” she let out a weak chuckle at this and Hancock felt his heart warm,  
          “I know you would, I also know you would have come up with some ingenious torture for Maxson if I’d let you… it’s why I love you, well part of it”  
          “What because I’m a little bit evil?”  
          “Because no one messes with John Hancock, because you’re like the ultimate bad boy with a heart of gold and because you only do it to those who deserve it”  
          “Well that’s high praise if ever I heard it… come on, we should get moving if we’re gonna make it before sunset” with that he jumped out of bed and pulled on clothes, watching a naked Harry packing up their bags before doing the same. He looked over at her and smiled, a stab of happiness rushing through him when she smiled back. So long ago she had told him she was tough, that she had gone through a lot but back then he’d never realised just how tough and right now he couldn’t believe such a strong beautiful woman would choose to be with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is just edited, not new.


	2. Mass Pike Interchange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang make it to the interchange and come up with a plan to wipe out the gunner camp.

          Mass Pike Interchange loomed in the distance, casting a dark shadow over half the landscape and Harry was almost overcome with a sinking feeling as she looked through the scope of her sniper rifle. It was worryingly well fortified and she wondered if this was the best idea. With only a small lift as access and metal walls running along most of the sides she knew they would be running into something she couldn’t scope out first and couldn’t escape easily if things did go belly up. They needed a plan and a good one too,  
          “Mac you really do know how to pick em” Hancock said a little spitefully to the mercenary, who just shrugged noncommittally causing the ghoul to shake his head and let out a short, sarcastic laugh,  
          “I would not suggest a direct attack but I do not know if there is much choice” Danse supplied and since he was the most experienced with large scale fighting an assessment like that only made Harry more worried. She took a deep breath and tried to steel herself enough to act like the fearless leader,  
           “We need to play to everyone’s strengths, Mac do you think you can find a spot you can snipe them from without having to actually go up there?” Harry asked, turning her head to where the sniper was laid belly down on another ledge just above her,  
          “Dunno… I can do a loop around the place and see if I can find somewhere”  
          “That would be good, we’ll meet up back here when you’re done” she waved MacCready off on his way and he disappeared into the scenery,  
          “Danse, you’re probably the best for charging in guns blazing right?”  
          “I would like to think I have more use than that but yes, with my power armour taken into account you are probably correct” she smiled at his stilted speech, it seemed no matter how long he was out of the Brotherhood Danse would still slip into soldier mode whenever a fight was at hand. At least now he had figured out who the right side was… or was that just her bias talking?  
           “John, you should probably put that silver tongue to good use”  
          “You said that only yesterday… I doubt you mean the same now though” he smirked and Harry just rolled her eyes at him,  
          “Hey if you want to offer those services to Winlock and Barnes go right ahead, otherwise we’ll need a better plan”  
          “Yea I think I’d rather just keep that one between us two, well unless you’d like to invite someone else to that particular party that is”  
          She purposefully ignored that offer, “thought you wouldn’t be so generous to a load of gunners… I’ll need to think a bit but I have some ideas” she had the tickling thought in the back of her head of a plan forming, but not quite there just yet. It needed time and it needed to be perfect but damnit if that huge looming structure casting a shadow over them wasn’t making thinking easy. As soon as MacCready returned, sneaking up and dropping in behind the little group, they made their way to a cabin not far off. An evening brainstorming and a good night's sleep was needed, Harry just hoped the nightmares wouldn't be too bad tonight.

 

          “Wake up” Mac whispered as he shook Hancock hard, the ghoul muttered something unintelligible and swatted at him, “come on… it's morning, we gotta go”  
          “Whu?” the ghoul cracked one eye open and wished his friend would catch fire. When that didn't work he sighed and opened both eyes to glare, hoping MacCready would get the message and might set fire to himself as a favour. He didn't, “I hate waking up before noon”  
          “Yea well next time it's your arse on the line I'll be getting a nice lie in too”  
          “Shut up Mac… boil some water, I'll wake her ladyship up” it wasn't as common an occurrence these days but Harry would still sometimes lash out when she woke and the rest of the gang usually left the task to Hancock. He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and pushed her down onto her back, using the hand underneath to pull her close and whisper in her ear, “good morning sunshine”  
          “hummm?” she was just starting to stir but it was clearly a question and an irritated one at that,  
          “Sleep well?”  
          “We're in a dirty old abandoned cabin not far from a bunch of well paid serial killers… what do you think?”  
          “Alright grumpy pants… no nightmares?”  
          “No nightmares” she repeated, rubbing her eyes and looking about the room, “this place is even dirtier in sunlight… I'm glad we didn't bring Codsworth”  
          “HA” Hancock barked out a laugh at the mental image of the robot trying to polish the broken pictures on the walls, sweep the floor, dust and make coffee all at the same time, “can robots have heart attacks?”  
          “Bring Codsworth here and you'll find out”  
          “I love you”  
          “I love you too king of the zombies”  
          “Gotta work on making you my zombie queen… still I like this” he ran a hand along her arm, bringing up goosebumps and smiled to himself at the effect he had. He couldn’t really stop himself from kissing her, even if he wanted to, she was so beautiful with her big eyes bleary from sleep and her shoulder length hair messy around her face. He hummed to himself as she deepened the kiss, a crafty tongue gently parting what was left of his lips and exploring his mouth. She groaned as he mirrored the motion, a little sound but enough to make him flip her so he was above her, placing a hand on her thigh and bringing her leg around his hips without breaking their mouths apart. Running a hand along the soft skin of her bare thigh and grabbing her arse to pull her hips up and towards him he let out a sigh as he felt her against his half hard cock and broke off to just stare at her, marvelling in how lucky he was, especially when she started grinding against him,  
          “Brought you coffee… oh” the door slammed open and MacCready stood there looking sheepish and holding a steaming mug,  
          “Damit” Hancock spat, resting his forehead gently on Harry’s… if there was ever a time for Mac to burst into flames it was this, instead he just stood there staring, frozen to the spot while his face just got redder, “Mac… do you mind?”  
          “We should get up anyway” Harry pointed out, untangling her legs from around him and wriggling out from under his body, grabbing the mug from Mac she disappeared through the door,  
          “Fuck… Damit MacCready”  
          “Hey sorry man… didn’t know you two were… well… sorry”  
          “Yea sure, good job I’m a changed man, I’ve killed people for less”  
          “And now you’re a pussy cat, come on Hancock you haven’t changed that much”  
          “I’m an awful lot less angry these days”  
          “All the sex?”  
          “If you’d stop interrupting us yes” he got up and grabbed his shirt, slipping it over his arms but not bothering to fasten it he pushed past the merc and marched through to the rest of their little cabin. Harry was stood talking to the big ex-Paladin, already in his power armour while she stood there in just a large t-shirt and shorts that could barely be called pants and he felt a flash of jealousy. Walking over he draped an arm around her shoulder and stared the man down with a lazy smile on his face, true to form Danse remained clueless and just went on talking, Nothing was going right so far for Hancock and he hoped it wouldn’t be a precedent for the rest of the day, not when they had such a dangerous task to do.

 

          The sniper was set up on a nearby cliff, the tank was ready and waiting, now it was just up to Harry and Hancock’s acting and persuasive techniques. The two made their way up to the lift onto the overpass this band of gunners called home, two of them were guarding it and a third stood by a stockpile nearby, Harry sighed to herself, they were barely older than children and today they were going to die,  
          “DON’T SHOOT” Hancock shouted in front of her, his hands held in front of him but somehow still managing to be cocky, “we want to talk to the boss”  
          “Yea what about?” Questioned one of the guards, he looked like he was trying to grow a beard but had barely managed fluff… god were they all this young?  
          “Do you know who we are kid?” The ghoul asked him, making the young gunner pause and look them over for a minute,  
          “Aren’t you them goody two shoes who took down the Institute?” He said in a voice dripping with disdain,  
          “One and the same”  
          “Why would you want anything to do with the Gunners then?”  
          “Well me personally, I would probably shoot you guys out of the sky” he gestured up above them and the overpass then smiled towards Harry, “but the lady here, she likes to give people the chance to talk, to persuade her not to… like she did with the Brotherhood”  
          “HA, you won’t get much talking done love” the kid said looking down on Harry, she shuddered when his eyes roamed approvingly over her body,  
          “Well I always like to try… does your boss want to talk or not?” She asked him, she was taken aback that someone too young to grow a beard was so mean and cynical and bordering on perverted already, that’s what growing up in the wastes did to you,  
           “I’ll ask but don’t hold your breath love” the kid made his way into a little hut to the side of the lift, talking away on the radio. He wasn’t gone for long before he returned with barely disguised rage on his soft young features, “they said to send you up”  
          The lift up to the overpass was barely more than metal grating on wires, it’s a good thing neither of them are scared of heights but as the thing took them up it swayed slightly in the wind and added a stomach lurching nausea to the nervous butterflies in Harry’s stomach. Once up there they were ferried through barricades, some of cobbled together metal, others looking like they could have belonged to the old military, yet more made from overturned cars and everything bearing the gunner symbol, a skull with a cross on it’s forehead. Harry was reminded of her school days, when her mother would stitch her name into her clothes and P.E. kit in case it was ever lost, the image of the big scary gunners marking their property like a school kid helped to ease the nerves a little. The gunner commander was waiting for them clad in rickety looking power armour, Winlock and Barnes stood at either side, one of them in equally shabby looking power armour. It was a show meant to intimidate them and she knew it, but it was really bad strategy, they should have been expecting an ambush and they shouldn’t have put all their commanding officers in one place. They either underestimated them or weren’t expecting more than just a chat… or they were just stupid. Whatever the reasons this worked in Harry’s favour, they would be easier to take down if she didn’t have to search for them while fighting their barely organised troops. Cut the head off the snake and use the ensuing confusion to mop up the rest,  
          “Why are you here?” The commander asked, voice tinny through her helmets speakers, Harry was surprised to realise she was female,  
          “We wanted to talk, come up with some way to live peacefully now that the biggest threats to the Commonwealth are gone” the vault dweller said, stepping slightly in front of her ghoul honour guard,  
          “The gunners are mercenaries, we take contracts and don’t make deals with the likes of you” the commander spat condescendingly,  
          “Why not? A mercenaries contract is nothing but a deal on paper surely?”  
          “Are you offering to pay us to ‘live peacefully’?”  
          “No but I’m offering you the opportunity to work for the Minutemen, we could always do with some combat trained people” Hancock looked over at her, confusion on his face, this wasn’t part of the plan and Harry knew it was a risk but she thought of it on the fly, an opportunity to let them surrender and take up with the powers of good, maybe even get a few to help them fight today. She raised her voice so that as many gunners could hear at once, “ANYONE WHO SURRENDERS WILL BE OFFERED A PLACE IN THE MINUTEMEN… I WON’T MAKE AN OFFER LIKE THIS AGAIN”  
           “HAHAHAHAHA you won’t get any of my people to surrender, your Minutemen are nothing more than a group of farmers with guns”  
          “We’re a lot more than that now, the Minutemen made the Brotherhood leave, the Minutemen helped take down the Institute, the Minutemen are keeping the Commonwealth safe”  
          “The Minutemen are useless” the commander sneered, her face couldn’t be seen past the helmet but you could hear and almost feel her sneering, she gestured towards Winlock and Barnes, “grab them, I imagine the General of the Minutemen and the Mayor of Goodneighbour would fetch a pretty good bounty, dead or alive”  
           Harry spun and grabbed Hancock’s arm, pulling him to run but the two gunners were too fast, Winlock in his power armour, grabbed the ghoul and wrenched his hand from Harry’s all the while Barnes was gaining on her. She felt his hands grab her wrist and was soon caught and lifted off the ground in his strong arms, struggling and shouting all the while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger... woot I did a cliffhanger (I'm not very good at those, I tend to get a bit too caught up in the writing to stop when it gets exciting)
> 
> Edited :)


	3. All According To Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Hancock have been captured! What will they do? Well it's time to send in the cavalry, or the tank and the sniper at least.

          Harry tried to fight her way out of the strong grip of the arms wrapped around her, Barnes held her struggling body, her back tight against his chest and she could hear him laughing in her ear as she was helplessly flailing. The gunners gathered to watch as the woman who took down the Brotherhood and the Institute was bested by them, she put on a good show for the grinning faces gathered around her and the man holding her seemed to be playing up to the crowd. Everyone was paying attention to her and Hancock being dragged away so no one noticed as the rickety old lift powered up towards them, she could barely hold in a smile and keep up with the act knowing who was coming.  
          Danse barrelled off the platform of the lift, dark and angry, seeming like he was twice his usual size, all power armour and rage. He bellowed as he lowered into a running crouch barrelling metal covered shoulder first into the gathered crowd and knocking gunners about, leaving them groaning on the floor, paying no attention to the grenades the Paladin left in his wake. Harry was dropped to the floor away from Barnes stinking body, where she quickly rolled into a crouch while pulling out her trusty 10mm Deliverer, she aimed it at him and enjoyed the look of shock and fear on his weathered face before pulling the trigger and leaving a neat hole right between his eyes. He fell in a crumpled heap, blood slowly pooling around his head and Harry rushed at Hancock as explosions rocked the structure and left human parts scattered everywhere.  
          Hancock was having some trouble with Winlock, he hadn’t been wearing the helmet of his armour which worked in their favour but it was still hard to get a good shot in when it made him a foot taller than the ghoul and the gunner seemed to be using the high shoulder guards in his beat up T-60 armour like a shield, twisting and turning so they blocked every shot. Hancock was busy slashing with a knife and trying to make an opening for the shotgun in his other hand but Winlock successfully blocked his attempts and, however fast he was at it, Hancock kept having to reload.  
          Harry watched as her lover was hit in the side by a gauntleted fist and staggered, holding the shotgun toting arm up to his injured side. He quickly recovered though and went right back to slashing and dodging and firing whenever the mercenary let him get an opening, it wasn’t enough and the two were locked in an equal footed battle but she could use that to her advantage. She rushed at John and distracted the man, aiming bad pot shots at his armour, making him turn and steady his eyes on her, stupidly turning his back on the ghoul with the shotgun. A quick blast to the back of the head and he was face down on the broken tarmac in a pool of his own blood and brain matter leaving just the commander, since Danse was taking care of the rabble and others kept falling to MacCready’s expert marksmanship.  
          The two of them split and made their way, crouched behind barricades on either side to avoid the spray of the commanders mini-gun as it hit more gunners than it did their foe. Harry made it to her first, but held back and stayed quiet, hidden behind the woman waiting for her opening, Hancock soon jumped out and started taking pot shots at her, too close for the gigantic gun to be any use, though the stupid woman did try. He skipped about missing her barely aimed shots at him, the commander was clearly filled with rage and that thankfully made her sloppy, giving Harry the perfect opportunity to sneak up behind her and place Deliverer under the small crack below her helmet. A few shots to the back of the neck, a scratchy screaming through the armours speakers and she too was downed leaving only a few more lower ranking gunners to mop up, it wasn’t long until the group was left panting in a sea of bodies.

 

          MacCready made his way up in the lift and sautered over to them with a mile long smile and his rifle resting on his shoulder and not a hair on his head out of place. The young merc looked very pleased with himself and Hancock expected some sort of self satisfied, smark aleck remark to come out of his mouth,  
          “God am I glad that’s over, now everyone who knew who I knows who I used to be is dead… thank you Harry and the rest of you” he said with a laugh in his voice, Hancock decided to let the ‘rest of you’ comment slide since Mac was so damn happy,  
          “Em… excuse me” a small, nervous voice sounded from behind them and they were all quick to spin around, weapons raised and pointed at a young looking kid wearing gunner green and fear all over his face, he was short and dark haired but looked to be barely old enough to shave let alone kill people for a living “em… sorry but… did you mean what you said about the Minutemen… could I really join them?” Hancock eyed the kid suspiciously, sure he looked scared out of his wits and genuine but it would take a lot for him to trust an ex-gunner. But he did trust an ex-gunner, the ghoul turned his head to look at MacCready, the two of them were not so different, both lanky and skinny, both happy to be rid of the gunners, both young and looking for their place in the world. This kid could have been Mac, his friend, a few years ago when he was stuck regretting joining up with the gunners and Mac, despite being a self satisfied arse, was one of the best people he could know,  
          “Who are you kid?” He asked the shaking boy, who looked up at him with wide eyes like he had never seen a ghoul before. It was a reaction Hancock was used to and for once decided just to ignore it,  
          “Em… Bobby sir” the kid was wringing his hands nervously and eyeing up the weapons they all held even though the whole group had come to the conclusion he wasn’t a serious threat and lowered them,  
           “Don’t go calling me sir… it’s Hancock” he looked back at the group who all seemed to be having different reactions to Bobby, “we should talk about this”  
          “What is there to talk about?” Danse said angrily, fingers twitching on the laser rifle he held barely lowered from pointing at the kid’s face, well at least his opinion was easy to read, “he is the enemy”  
          “Excuse me… em” the scared kid interjected, they all whipped their heads around to look at him and he almost shrank in their gaze but spoke up anyway, brave considering what he was up against “I haven’t been with the gunners long, they were just training me and I already regretted joining up… I just wanted a chance to do something with my life”  
          “See he doesn’t seem like a bad kid… and I did make an offer” Harry pointed out solemnly, followed by a flash of a smile at the boy that didn’t quite reach her eyes, an act to help put the kid at ease, “it’s not ‘there’s Brotherhood then there’s everything else’ anymore Danse, we have to make room for shades of grey”  
           “I wouldn’t trust him but it’d be pretty hypocritical of me to say he shouldn’t be given a chance” Mac piped in, shrugging,  
          “I agree with Mac, give the kid a chance to earn our trust” Hancock suggested and that seemed to be the end of the discussion. He was left to keep an eye on the kid while the rest of their little team combed through the bodies taking anything worth carrying, including the banged up T-60 power armour Winlock wore, which looked like it hadn’t been given any attention for years great, that’ll keep Danse occupied Hancock thought to himself as he watched Harry removing the set from the corpse, “how old are you kid?”  
          “Nearly 16 sir” the newest member of their party supplied, not stuttering or pausing now that his head wasn’t hovering over the execution block, in fact the two of them were sat quite casually on the ground together while the others squatted by the bodies, Harry occasionally making excited noises, “it’s my birthday next month”  
          “Hey, we’ll have to sort out a party, not every year you turn 16. Oh and don’t call me sir, it’s Hancock remember”  
          “Yes Hancock”  
          “Where you from?”  
          “I’d rather not say… it’s not somewhere you’ll know anyway” Hancock narrowed his eyes suspiciously but shrugged and decided to let it slide, everyone’s entitled to their secrets, hell he had plenty. He imagined Harry would soon know this mysterious teenage gunner’s entire life history, she had a way with people that made everyone open up to her.  
          Once they had all the worthwhile loot they dragged it all back to the cabin, Danse stomping along happily with the power armour from the two mercs wrapped in a sheet and flung over his shoulder. The others were carrying backpacks full of weapons or supplies with great difficulty since they were stuffed to the brim, Mac kept complaining about his feet hurting and his back aching like they hadn’t done this whole thing for him. They decided to spend the night, tend to the small spattering of wounds and to eat. Hancock couldn’t help but wonder on the new kid, Bobby, he watched him most of the night, looking nervous amongst so many strangers but otherwise doing nothing out of the ordinary. His gut told him something was off about the ex-gunner but he couldn’t quite figure out what and his head told him to give the benefit of the doubt, still he was going to keep a close eye on this new member of the gang.


	4. Way Back Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang return home to Sanctuary and the new kid on the block stays at the Red Rocket with Hancock and Harry.

          The drooping shape of a stylized spacecraft poked over the horizon, the red rocket symbol that meant home to Harry, one of only two things in the wastes that did the other being the neon sign of Goodneighbour. It was early morning and the peeking sun bathed everything in burnt orange transforming the wreck of civilisation into something beautiful and desolate. Duties could wait until morning, she just wanted to sleep as she dragged heavy feet towards the old gas station ignoring the irritated chatter of the rest of the group. These days she couldn’t sleep in Sanctuary, not after everything that had happened there, instead her and Hancock lived in a back room of the old Red Rocket where she had tried to make it cosy and inviting, with a dresser piled with old library books and the softest bed she could find. Still it had no door, they’d never really worried about privacy before but with her newest stray in tow it might be a problem, he’d have to stay with them until some space could be found in the ever growing town to the east. They said goodbye to Danse and MacCready who vanished over the hill with promises that they would be stopping by Sanctuary the next day, she needed to see Preston anyway.  
          She took him into the garage, which she had set up as a sort of living room with big comfy sofas and a jukebox that played soft tunes. The kids eyes lit up at her collection of magazines and comics, all set out along the back wall, displayed like prizes which to Harry they were. Each one was collected from somewhere she had been in her travels, each one reminded her of a place or a person and each and every one reminded her of the dead civilisation of the past that somehow still showed through in the dust and mess of the new one. She was proud of them but not too proud not to let this excited teenager make use of them,  
          “You can read any you like Bobby, just be careful with them” her heart warmed at the look on his face when he realised she meant it. He immediately ran over and started scanning over them like a kid in a candy shop, “just don’t tell MacCready, he’d kill for this collection… oh and you’ll be sleeping here until we find a spot for you in Sanctuary,” she motioned to the big soft sofa, “I’ll show you the town and introduce you around tomorrow… right now enjoy the comics and get some sleep”  
          “Thank you” she heard as she got to the doorway, she smiled at herself happy to be helping another stray wastelander get on the right path.  
          Hancock was waiting in her makeshift office, the space led to the bedroom and she’d set up a desk and cabinets in there so she could work on Minutemen business and he could be a bit more organised with Mayoral duties when he was away from Goodneighbour. Right now he sat on the small, once expensive and highly decorated couch, his feet up on a ottoman and a canister of jet in his hand, the acrid smoke curling out of his mouth and sweeping into the air where it hung on the ceiling like fog,  
          “Ohhhh gimme” she said, flopping down and mirroring his posture, slouching back into the cushions and reaching for the jet in his hand, he snatched it away before she could reach and held it above her,  
          “Nope… gotta ask nicely” his mocking voice ran over her like whiskey over ice and she hummed to herself and looked at him with lidded eyes that made him raise an eyebrow. Harry kissed him, locking her lips to his as her tongue explored the familiar taste of his mouth, she pulled herself up and swung a leg over and when she broke the kiss she was straddling him and looking down at his face with her hands on his neck, “ok that’s nice enough”  
          “Thanks” she said as he handed her the chem, a deep breath in and time slowed, the world transforming into a series of patterns, lines blurring with slow movement. She loved to just sit and watch Hancock when she was on jet, the way he moved seemed like poetry, every movement seemed calculated when it slowed down like this. He smiled lazily, languidly and she felt herself smiling too. Before she had chance to react he had kissed her and easily stood with her body wrapped around his, hands exploring each other and clothes coming off as he carried her to the bed and laid her down under him. Breaking the kiss he sat back and marvelled at her where she lay in her underwear biting a lip and subtly grinding her hips against him, she was burning for him, aching for him to touch every part of her after so long on the road, so long with interruptions and people close by stopping them from indulging in each other. He liked to watch as she grew more and more impatient and the frustration started to grow as he just looked down on her, a smug grin on his face. Harry let out a grumble of impatience and grabbed at the naked, scarred skin of his shoulders, pulling him down onto her,  
          “Feeling frustrated sunshine?” He mocked between rough kisses that he trailed down her body, stopping to pull down the edge of her bra, one small perky globe slipping free and receiving kisses too,  
          “Aren’t you?” She asked him before gasping as he took her nipple in his mouth and worked it expertly with his tongue, by now he knew her body so well he could easily press all her buttons but he still took his time like it was the first time. A rough hand ran down her stomach, catching her knickers and tugging them down, so caught up in the sensations she didn’t notice the other hand reaching behind her until her bra was already on the floor and she was left naked before him,  
          “Oh god yea… have been for days” he took her calves in his hands and placed them on his shoulders, pushing into her and thrusting deep and she moaned and arched her back as he filled her to the hilt. He started with a slow pace that made her wriggle underneath him, urging him on as she felt herself relax and unwind, every aching muscle tingling with new sensations. Harry could tell he was holding back with great difficulty and when she groaned and shuddered it was like something snapped, he sped up his thrusting suddenly, one hand reaching between them and finding her clit, making her buck her hips against him as he fucked her into the mattress like he couldn’t get enough of her,  
          “I love the way you feel around my cock” he muttered into her ear, his silken gravelly voice pushing her closer to her release, the heat coiling in her belly making her cry out against his cheek as she peppered his skin with kisses. He growled, low and deep in his chest when, feeling the pressure building she dragged her nails down his back, the sound was enough to send her over the edge giving herself to the white hot ecstasy until her mind blanked. She was dimly aware of him groaning as he came inside her and untangled her legs, laying them on the bed and flopping down almost on top of her. A serene smile graced her face and she wrapped her arms around him, bringing his head to rest on her chest and kissing the top of it as he sunk down, his face resting just above her breast. She felt sleep threatening to take her and glanced over at the door, thinking for a moment that she was seeing something, a shadow moving in the darkness of the room outside. Realising what it was Harry let out a shirek and sat up, pulling the covers over her naked body and displacing her lover, he landed roughly on the bed.

          Hancock was happily drifting off to sleep, his head resting on Harry’s chest and his body curled around her when suddenly she screamed and sat up. Landing heavily on the mattress all trace of the blissful sleepiness was shaken from him and he jumped up to his knees, kneeling in front of her and checking her over quickly. She wasn’t shaking or covered in the usual cold sweat that accompanied a nightmare, her eyes were wide but it didn’t look like fear, more like shock that quickly mutated to anger as she pointed out the door,  
          “There’s someone out there” she whispered and Hancock’s insides filled with a cold rage. He lept up from the bed and grabbed his knife in one fluid motion, grabbing the shadowy figure and pinning it to the wall, the blade at it’s throat,  
          “Harry grab the lights will you?” the flash of brightness as the lights turned on left him blinking but not for long. Snarling like a wild beast he realised it was the kid, Bobby, who should have been asleep in the next room but instead and just watched them… now it’s not like Hancock hadn’t gone in for a little voyeurism in his time and honestly he quite liked being watched (especially fucking someone as perfect as Harry) but he wasn’t going to stand for someone sneaking in the shadows when the two of them were unawares,  
          “Bobby? How long have you been there?” Harry was climbing from the bed, wrapping the thin sheets around her body, Hancock was naked as the day he was born with his body pressed up against the kid but he didn’t care. Her head tipped to the side, it seemed like she was purposefully trying to portray an approachable curiosity and not out and out rage like he was,  
          “Answer her kid” he growled loudly into the boy’s ear, pressing just hard enough on his neck to pull up a drop of blood. Bobby flinched and tried to move his head back but pinned against the wall like he was there was no back to go to and Hancock smiled at him, all teeth and animal instincts,  
          “It’s ok Bobby, I’m not going to hurt you or abandon you or anything, I just want to know” she approached the pair, one hand held out like she was approaching a wild deer that could bolt at any second. Gently she touched Hancock’s arm and he felt a flash of anger at her defending the boy but grudgingly relented and pulled back the knife, still holding Bobby pinned against the wall,  
          “I’m-I-I’m sorry miss I just… I heard a noise” Bobby muttered, the ghoul narrowed his eyes suspiciously and thought yea right, I heard a noise, oldest excuse in the book. The kid glanced at his expression and paled, quickly shifting his eyes back to Harry and forcing them to stay there, Hancock allowed himself a self satisfied smirk,  
          “That’s not an answer to my question Bobby… how long?”  
          “A while” Harry nodded at his answer, she was so calm but the ghoul mayor felt like ripping his throat out right then and there and just watching as the blood pooled around his body on the floor, it was a nice image,  
          “And when you realised what was happening you didn’t leave?” It was clearly a question but, even in her calm voice Harry managed to make it feel like an accusation, the kids head bowed in shame,  
          “No miss”  
          “No… and was that because you liked what you saw?” Hancock snapped his head round to look at her, he couldn’t believe she was being so calm about this and now she was fishing for compliments from this fucking teenager,  
          “Yes miss” he could feel the kid tense where he was holding him against the wall and backed off a bit, he just curled up into himself still standing, his head bowed and shoulders slumped even with Hancock’s hand still grasping his collar,  
          “Right” Harry said, she started pacing, the blanket following behind her like a train on some fancy, pre war ball gown, “here’s what’s going to happen, Hancock is going to get dressed and go and get Danse, you are going to go back to bed and when they get back Danse will watch you. Tomorrow I’m still going to show you around Sanctuary and find you a place but I will tell Preston exactly what happened tonight and be assured you will be watched closely until you have proven yourself. I hope you know this is unacceptable and it will not be allowed to happen again, this is your first warning” having handed down sentencing she turned and marched back into the bedroom while Hancock, happy that the kid had been told off but disappointed he didn’t get to even injure the little shit, pushed him out onto the forecourt and followed her back in. Harry was pulling on loose fitting, comfortable clothes, the things she used as pajamas on the rare occasions that she wore them at all here, in their home,  
          “Is every man in the Commonwealth a pervert?” She asked not even looking up at him as she dressed, he sighed,  
          “Well I can’t really talk, not exactly innocent myself… I don’t feel right leaving you here alone with the kid” in answer Harry flopped herself onto the bed, pushing back until she was leaned against the wall, her knees pulled up in front of her and waved deliverer, her silenced 10mm pistol at him. Not entirely convinced he raised an eyebrow at her, “and if he tries something you think you can shoot him?”  
          “Yes” she answered plainly but he still wasn’t convinced and just looked at her silently until she was forced to elaborate, “ok I admit I like the idea of giving the kid a second chance, helping him make something of himself but if he comes near me after this I won’t hesitate to shoot him… I’m not going through… that… again”  
          “Ok… I’ll go get Danse” he knew exactly what she was referring to, Harry was no stranger to just how horrible the people of the Commonwealth could be, especially men and he knew full well what happened to the last one.  
          Nothing more happened though, the kid did as told and Danse stood over him all day and night while they slept, laser pistol in hand and power armour on. Still Hancock was on edge and didn’t sleep, he offered to take over from Danse at one point so he could head home but the ex-soldier would hear none of it, insisting this was all in his training. It was definitely going to be a long few days for the ghoul if he spent them constantly watching for any little movement like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been pretty much enjoying exploring the whole domestic side of their relationship but I have bigger plans for where this story is headed.
> 
> Expect adventure and mystery, murder and a whole lot of smut!


	5. Not Such a Sanctuary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry introduces Bobby to the rest of her strays in Sanctuary. Not everyone likes it.

          Sanctuary was much like it had been when they left almost a week ago but still Harry was bombarded with people asking a million questions or little favours the second she stepped off the rickety, half collapsed bridge.Taking a step back from her Hancock watched her try to field the nattering of the settlers whilst at the same time keeping a keen eye on the kid beside him who in turn eyed him nervously. Despite saying before they should give the boy a chance the ghoul was starting to second guess that decision after the night they had returned, no matter that Bobby had done nothing wrong since then, it would take a lot to make Hancock trust him. It was the crowd around Harry worrying him the most now though and when he noticed little signs of stress (the balling of a fist, heavier breathing, a tightening of the muscles) he stepped in,

          “HEY HEY” walking up to stand in front of the increasingly agitated Vaultie he raised his hands and his voice to the crowd, “EVERYONE QUIET… right you all know how this works, anything that cannot wait, anything life or death you ask Preston and he decides if it really is urgent. Anything else waits until a town meeting… now we have work to do and so do you lot so shoo” it worked even if the crowd of settlers grumbled to themselves as they all filed away. Harry though looked relieved and thankful, her tense frame softening somewhat as she gazed at him with a smile,

          “My hero” she muttered, linking an arm through his and giving him dirty ideas about damsels in distress and just how this one could thank her knight in shining armour. That didn’t last long though, he was pulled out of those thoughts by Preston marching up the cracked tarmac towards them,

          “General… Hancock” the minuteman greeted them gracing them with a nod each,

          “Preston, the crops are coming in well” Harry said, her usual easy way with the man, boggling Hancock when Preston drove him up the damn wall. Still he unwrapped his arm from his girls and followed behind as they walked towards the fields, full of food laden plants that danced in the gentle breeze. He made sure Bobby walked in front of him, all the better to keep an eye on him,

          “Yes, the last few mutfruit trees started to fruit while you were gone, we should have enough to send some along the supply routes to the newer settlements” he was gleaming with pride and for some reason that pissed Hancock off far more than it should. He must just be in a bad mood,

          “Brilliant, the more help we can give them to set up the better” Harry beamed back at him,

          “Yes… ehem” Preston cleared his throat and looked away over the field, standing beside his general in uncomfortable silence, I wonder how long until one of them brings up the elephant in the room Hancock thought to himself with a sadistic little smile creeping onto his lips,

          “So who is-”

          “This is-” They both spoke at the same time, giving the ghoul an evil little jolt of smugness at how uncomfortable the whole thing was. At least Harry was taking it all a bit more seriously now, maybe he would get to beat the snot out of the kid in the end, Harry cleared her throat,

          “We need to talk” she said decisively,

          “Yea, you do” he snapped at the two of them causing his girl to stare at him angrily, “Hancock leave it… let me deal with this” since when did she call him Hancock and not John, maybe she could sense his foul mood,

          “Do you want to go inside?” Preston waved at the nearby common house that held the closest thing they had to a meeting room here in Sanctuary. It was more just a big room made by knocking two smaller ones together with a table at one end and the rest of the floor taken up by mismatched chairs. John lead Bobby in by the arm, sitting him down in one of the chairs around the table maybe a little too forcefully. Once all four were sat Preston cleared his throat with a deep sound and started talking,

          “You both know I'm all for new faces here in Sanctuary but I get the feeling there's more to this than welcoming a new settler”

          “You could say that” John sneered and was rewarded with another look from Harry, one that clearly said shut up,

          “This is Bobby, he surrendered when we took down the gunners at the overpass and I offered him a place in the minutemen… but…” here she took a deep breath and looked at the boy, “the first night we got back to Red Rocket there was an… incident. I think you should tell him Bobby, owning up when you do something wrong is important” the ghoul rolled his eyes when the boy just muttered something unintelligible,

          “I didn't hear that Bobby, could you speak up” Preston urged him oh so politely only to hear a slightly louder but still not understandable whisper. Hancock lost his cool,

          “He got his rocks off sneaking around and watching us have sex” he spat out,

          “HANCOCK!” Harry finally raised her voice at him, “why do you have to be so blunt?”

          “Because it's the truth” she ignored him and turned back to the minuteman who was looking at her with abject shock,

          “I want him to have a chance at joining the Minutemen or at least helping here in Sanctuary but he'll need to be watched”

          “That's it?” Hancock snapped, “that's all you're going to do?”

 

          “John Hancock” she turned towards him, a false calm masking anger bubbling under the surface, “can I talk to you… alone?” She tried to push down the hurt and the anger as she lead her lover into a room stuffed with bunk beds usually reserved for people visiting Sanctuary but not settling. Harry couldn't help turning on him, “What the hell is up with you John?” She pushed out through clenched teeth, trying so hard not to shout, “you're acting like I've done something wrong”

          “Would you let him get away with murder too?” The ghoul in front of her said, full of self-righteous swagger,

          “And what would you suggest I do?”

          “You know exactly what I'd do, you told me it was one of the things you love about me only a few days ago”

          “Yea, I love how merciless you are when it comes to punishing someone truly evil, murderers and rapists not some confused teenager”

          “He'll be more than a confused teenager in a few years if you just let him get away with it”

          “I AM NOT…” she pulled in a steadying breath “I'm not letting him ‘get away with it’” OK maybe the air quotes were a bit too passive aggressive but right now she was holding herself back from just being aggressive,

          “Shit Harry what does this kid have to do to make you angry with him?”

          “A LOT MORE THAN WHAT HE DID” she finally snapped and flat out yelled at him,

          “SO YOU WON'T EVEN TAKE MY OPINION INTO ACCOUNT?”

          “NOT WHEN IT FEELS LIKE YOU'RE ATTACKING ME WHEN I'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG”

          “DONE NOTHING WRONG? HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT I WAS IN THAT ROOM TOO? HE WATCHED BOTH OF US SO SURELY I SHOULD GET SOME SAY” by this point they were both yelling at the top of their lungs, loud enough that all of Sanctuary must have heard. Harry didn't care, she refused to be cowed or talked down to in HER town,

          “I WILL NOT THROW SOME TEENAGER TO THE WOLVES JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE STUBBORN JOHN” this time she used his first name like a weapon and he was clearly hurt by that,

          “You know this isn't about being stubborn, it's about what's right and that kid cannot be trusted”

          “I can't talk to you about this anymore… go back to Red Rocket and don't expect me home tonight… or the next, I don't know how long it'll be until I can stop being angry about this” he looked shocked and genuinely hurt,

          “Where will you be?”

          “Not that you deserve to know but tonight I will be getting thoroughly drunk… after that… I don't know” she marched out of the room leaving behind a shocked Hancock for an equally shocked Preston, “find Bobby somewhere to stay, keep an eye on him, this is his first and only warning if something like this happens again he's on his own” the man before her nodded “I'm going to drink until I don't care anymore” and with that she swept out of the common house and into the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! It's been a long while since I felt like writing and I'd half given up on the idea even though I have so many ideas on what to do with these guys... I planned so much but just couldn't bring myself to put it down on virtual paper. However I've kept up reading some of the wonderful stuff others have written and I'm suddenly feeling inspired again so expect this and other stories to be updated more regularly from now on.


	6. Drinking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cait isn't the best influence, then again Harry doesn't exactly need much persuasion.

          Red Rocket was painfully quiet and the second he got there Hancock started pacing, a few laps of the makeshift living room and the jukebox playing soft music was just grating on him making his already frayed nerves crash together. He ground his teeth, ready to switch the damn thing off when he finally snapped, all the rage spilling out as he pummelled the thing with the but of his shotgun until glass and metal scraps flew around him. Not until he was done, staring breathlessly at the mess before him, did he realise a shard of glass had lodged itself in his arm. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he should fix it, should clean up and put a stimpak to the wound but… he just couldn’t get up the strength to move, instead he slumped onto the floor and watched to blood flow from his forearm,

          _She said not to expect her home… maybe… maybe I can just lie here until she comes back… yea… yea I’ll do that_ , he thought to himself a sad facsimile of a smile just touching the corners of his mouth as he reached for the mentats and jet in his pocket.

          It wasn’t convincing but the chems helped him think that everything would be alright in the end and he drifted off to sleep riding on a pleasant high.

\-------------------------

          Cait was sat at the rooftop bar in sanctuary, her back to the stairs that Harry climbed, still feeling frustrated. She wanted to fight something, wanted to get drunk but most of all wanted to cry, tears of frustration and anger, tears of hurt and the deep seated pain of… what? She felt betrayed, abandoned but she had been the one to walk off, the first one to shout… then again he’d acted like she’d done wrong when she hadn’t… _GAAHH I just need to sort my head out, it’ll be fine right?_

          “Cait?” Harry tentatively stepped up behind the Irish brawler, wringing her hands and mentally trying to close up the pit coming open in her chest,

          “Shit girl… you alright?” the redhead jumped and stared at the state of her friend, Harry realised she must have been a mess and no matter how hard she tried to put a smile on her face it refused to stay there,

          “I’ll be fine… I’m… oh god it’s my fault… sorry Cait, you don’t need… no… no I’m not ok” she blurted out then aborted each thought as they jumped into her head, barely finishing one of a million sentences that formed in her mind, mostly reassuring, blaming, apologising but they all fizzled out just as quickly as they came,

          “Come sit down, you’ve listened to enough of my messed up life story I can listen to yours. Don’t expect any good advice though, I’m shit at that”

          “I need a drink… Cait, are you drinking nuka cola?”

          “Yea, it’s two in the afternoon and Preston Goody-two-shoes Garvey keeps getting on at me about being drunk in the middle of the day. Been drinking this shit to keep him quiet, easier than listening to him going on”

          “Well I’m not drinking alone and I’m his General so… whiskey?”

         “You know it” she flagged down the bartender, who seemed to be pretty accustomed to her presence at his bar and immediately poured them two whiskeys, leaving the bottle along with two glasses without being asked,

          “So… what’s up?” Cait asked before downing her first drink and pouring another, the girl could drink,

           “Hancock… we had an argument… well more a shouting at the top of our lungs match really”

          “Yea I heard that… think most people did” Harry turned red at this news and downed her drink, shivering a little at the sting and immediately pouring another and taking a sip, she didn’t intend to mess about, “You really know what to say to make a girl feel better Cait”

          “Just telling it like it is” Cait shrugged, "What was it about? Do I need to kick someone’s arse?”

          “Maybe. We brought a new kid back last time we were out… Bobby… he used to be a gunner and that’s kinda all we know about him, that and he’s young, not even sixteen yet” she stopped talking and sighed, watching the drink swirl around in her glass before downing it and pouring herself another, significantly bigger shot,

          “You want me to kick his arse? I mean, I would but I’m not exactly stoked about beating up a kid”

          “No, no… that’s the problem, I don’t want the kid hurt”

          “You lost me”

          “Right… we came back, I set him up with the sofa in Red Rocket and Hancock and I went to bed. Only not to sleep… well originally to sleep but that idea didn’t last long when we were both filled with jet… oh sorry Cait” now about three… or was it four? Fairly large drinks in Harry was starting to ramble and definitely feeling less shy talking about sex. Also she forgot for a second about Cait’s ongoing recovery from serious addiction, the ex-cage fighter wasn’t phased though and just shook her head and gestured for her to carry on with the tale, “we em… had… em… ok even drunk I’m a bit shy about it”

          “You fucked?” Cait supplied shamelessly, making Harry splutter on her fourth, or maybe fifth drink,

          “Yea… yea that… god Cait he’s so good at it” her eyes glazed over for a second as she poured another drink, she was quickly losing count and the bottle was getting emptier by the minute,

          “Much as I like to hear about your boyfriends prowess it isn’t exactly essential to the story” Cait raised an eyebrow and folded her arms until her increasingly drunk friend continued,

          “Someone was there… in the shadows outside and Hancock lost it. I had to stop him from slitting the boy’s throat when it turned out to be Bobby”

          “Wait some fifteen year old kid… watched you having sex? Shit, that’s messed up in so many ways”

          “I know right? I’m all about second chances, the kid’s clearly been through a *hic* a lot and he seems kinda… broken” Cait waved down another bottle that Harry only barely registered as she watched it being swapped out for the empty, she grabbed the bottle before her friend got the chance and poured herself her… what? Ninth? Tenth? Glass and finally gave up trying to count, “John just thinks he’s a pervert and dangerous… I don’t know, I want to give him the chance to sort his shit out”

          “And Hancock wants nothing to do with him?”

          “Ohhhhhhhh Hancock wants to do a lot with him, most of it ending up bloody. I get it, Commonwealth justice and all that but… when does it stop being justice and just become… cruel”

          “Your man’s always been about doing things the bloody way”

          “Mmmmm… not sure if he’s… if he’s my man anymore. Dunno if he'd want me”

          “Nahh shut up… he loves you man!” Cait was noticeably slurring by now and Harry wasn't entirely sure her words were understandable at all, “we all love ya… you're like… the best”

          “Am not… it's my fault… it's all my fault… John just… just wants to look after me an I keep… keep getting all fucked up. I've been through so much Cait” she could feel the drunken sobs bubbling up from some hurt place deep inside and tried to push them back down,

          “You HAVE!” The redhead slammed her open palm against the table, emphasizing her point, “that dick should know that… he should… should… act like he knows that”

          “No no no!” She pointed a wobbly finger at her friend, downing another drink before talking as she poured the next, “I don't want some… whatzzat thing… eggshells… don't want eggshells. He gets to have anna… a... pinion… opinion. Just felt so disrespected, this is MY TOWN not HIS”

          “Eggsactly. He needs to respect the General! You gotta make the decisions not him”

          “Eggsactly... Cait, when did it get dark?”

          “Dunno… when the sun went down?” they'd clearly been at this longer than they both thought and were both swaying slightly and talking with far more indignation and hand waving than they maybe should,

          “what time is it?”

          “Time for another bottle!”

          “NO!” being so drunk neither of them had heard the clanking, heavy steps of a power armoured Danse approaching them. Now he towered over the two wasted women with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face, “Cait, I can't believe you would be such a bad influence”

          “Imma bad…? She started it!” The accused Cait snapped, pointing in vaguely the direction of her current drinking buddy,

          “Danse, you're very handsome you know” Harry smiled up at him, eyes almost closing with drunken lethargy,

          “Whoever is to blame I think it's time I took her home” he moved over to help Harry stand, she stumbled, falling against the metal around his chest and struggling to hold on in an attempt to stand. The ex-paladin sighed and climbed reluctantly out of his armour to get a better grip on the drunk vaultie,

          “Come on Knight, this is no way for a Brotherhood soldier to act” he wrapped an arm around her waist and led her towards the stairs,

          “I’m not no Brotherhood… I’m the General”

          “I know… now let’s get you home” he was guiding her wobbly legs down one step at a time in case she lost her footing, it was slow work to start with but Harry paused and looked at him horrified,

          “NO NO… not home! Please don’t take me back”

          “What? Harriette, what happened?”

          “We argued, shouted… I don’t want to… see him” the Paladin nodded, he clearly knew exactly who she meant,

          “I’ll take you to my place then. Come on General, this will take forever” he scooped her up in his strong arms and Harry felt a drunken rush of adrenaline as her center of balance shifted so considerably. That and a rush of something else, something more… interesting,

          “Danse, you’re so strong” she purred, running alcohol numbed hands along his muscled arms and sighing,

          “Stop it Harriette”

          “But Danse, you’re just so… strong and powerful and… hummm so hot” she dug her nails into the fabric of his shirt and the synth let out a deep animalistic rumble from his chest,

           “Harriette Monroe I said stop. You know how I feel about you and I know you are just flirting because you’re drunk and upset. You would not feel the same in the morning and this is just… just cruel” she looked up into dark, scowling eyes that were filled with anger and deeper than that, pain,

          “‘m sorry Danse, you’re a good friend” he nodded and kicked open his front door, making her jump at the sudden noise,

          “You will sleep in my bed, I will sleep on the sofa” he dropped her onto the soft, old mattress and pulled blankets over her, tucking her in like a child,

          “Wait, Danse… won’t you stay, I won’t try anything I promise, I just want to cuddle”

          “I’m sorry but I can’t, I don’t trust myself around you like this and I… I think it’s best if I stay away. Now I hate to have to say this but, I’m going to check on your ghoul, if I know him he’ll be in as much of a state as you” by the time he was done talking she was snoring.


	7. Problem Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dance and Hancock don't see eye to eye (do they ever?) And Harry decides to take some time away from it all.

          A firm hand rolling him over woke Hancock where he sat in the dark room, the blackness of night stretching out past the great door of the car port. For a while he didn’t realise what was happening or why he was on the hard cement ground with a horrific stabbing in his right forearm. Danse was looking down at him shaking his head,

          “Am I to assume this was an accident?” still dopey from sleep and the lasting effects of the chems the ghoul looked down where the Paladin was gesturing at a small pool of blood and a sizable shard of glass in his arm.

          At least that explained the pain, the blood loss wasn’t enough to kill him by far but combined with the chems he took before falling asleep it was enough to make him confused and light headed. Skittering memories danced across his mind and he had the distinct feeling he should be sad but couldn’t exactly remember why. The ex-soldier simply shook his head again and vanished into another room, leaving Hancock trying to figure out why he had woken up on the floor and why Harry hadn’t woken him.

          Reality dawned on him slowly and he groaned, reaching his good hand to run a palm over his face as he remembered the argument, the shouting and how he had been angry enough not to notice his injury. Danse reappeared with a rag, alcohol and a stimpak kneeling beside the dopey ghoul and laying out the medical supplies by his injured arm,

          “This is going to hurt but I’ll have to pull it out before I can stimpak it”

          “Where is she?” he didn’t care about the pain, nor the loss of blood he just wanted to know Harry was alright,

          “She is at my house, she is fine but sleeping off a copious amount of alcohol”

          “Didn’t take you long to get her in your bed” he sneered at the man and gasped as he pulled out the glass with more force than was really necessary, especially with no warning. The Alcohol soaked rag stung as it mopped up the fresh rush of blood and the quick injection of a stimpak left the open wound knitting itself back together.

          Danse didn’t say a word throughout the whole procedure and stood afterwards looking down at him,

          “Harriette may be in my bed but I can assure you nothing will happen while she is incapable of consent… you know full well I am not that kind of man” he spat at Hancock, then bent to roughly pull him to his feet, “now get to bed and sleep off those chems”

          “Just need some med-x” John muttered, heading towards the medicine cabinet,

          “Don’t you think you’ve had enough?”

          “NO DANSE I FUCKING DON’T! First you muscle in and take my woman the second we have an argument and now you want to deny me the one thing that makes all this shit stop hurting… fuck you”

          “You’re a mess Hancock, take more chems, don’t take more chems see how I care, just know now that I will care about that woman until the day I die and I will happily be a shoulder to cry on without expecting anything in return. You’re a good man Hancock, I’m honest enough to admit it but she is the best of us, she deserves better than you”

          “And you think that’s you?”

          “No… I don’t and like I said, I am happy with whatever she wants and it seems like so far she’s always chosen you”

          “Damn right”

          “I am returning home to make sure Harriette is still asleep, I suggest you sleep as well”

          “Oh I’m sure you don’t really want to be sleeping tonight, pushed up against her in your tiny bed… go on then, make the most of it while you can”

          “ENOUGH HANCOCK! I am leaving” the ghoul watched as the ex-paladin marched off towards town, stamping like he was mad at the ground itself. Despite himself he couldn’t help but take the man’s advice, though he did add a little med-x, just to dull the pain in his arm he managed to drag himself into the back room and flopped on the bed. It still smelled of her, of the two of them and it made his chest hurt in a way that no chem could dull. He fell asleep thinking about Harry, pictures of her smiling face, surrounded by soft auburn hair flowing through his mind no matter how hard he tried to think of something else.

\-------------------------

          It was pitch black and she couldn’t feel the floor beneath her feet like she was floating in the darkness, the nothingness cradling her and lulling her into a state of numb relaxation. Her wrists felt cold but it barely registered, her eyes were flickering closed when she heard the noise of chains clinking in the darkness, felt them winding down her arms and around her waist, holding her in place. She struggled but was barely able to move at all with the cold metal wrapped so tightly around her.

          A dim light appeared in the distance, then another and another until the room, or space, or… something, in which she was held was lit like a constellation of muted orange light and she could see chains wrapped around her body, holding her still and stretching out into a distance with no end.

           Laughter started so loud she longed to cover her ears but she couldn’t, she was held in place and starting to panic, her heart racing as burns appeared on her skin where the chain touched, it didn’t hurt, it was just a fact, she was burning alive. A door opened and the laughter stopped, leaving behind the heavy silence only found before a battle, she felt the sensation of hands she couldn’t see all over her, not stopping their exploration when she struggled and cried out. She spotted a shadowy figure in the door, still, watching.

          Harry woke with a scream, cold sweat making blankets cling to her skin as her spine dripped with lingering fear and reached out for Hancock’s reassuring presence to find nothing. It was only with a loud banging from the hallway and a dull aching in her head that she was reminded of where she was,

          “Harriette!” Danse came barrelling through the empty doorway, panic written all over his face, to her surprise he only wore a loose t-shirt and tight black boxers rather than the power armour that seemed like skin on him, “are you ok?” she stared blankly at him for a while, the pounding of her inevitable hangover keeping the despair away,

          “Danse…” she said no more before he crossed the room and wrapped her up in his big, reassuring arms but they weren’t right, they weren’t what she wanted right now, too big and too cool and without the rough skin that made her feel safe,

          “Did you have a nightmare?” her friend asked, holding her at arm’s length and looking her over as though he was looking for injuries after a fight,

          “Yes. Danse… I’m sorry”

          “For what?”

          “Last night, acting the way I did… you were right it was cruel. So many people out there wouldn’t have held back but you would never take advantage like that and… well thank you and I’m sorry”

          “Don’t worry, I did what I thought was right, that is all”

          “Thank you anyway” they lapsed into silence for a while, Harry trying to make her head stop throbbing and, as far as she could tell, Danse trying not to look at her,

          “He’s ok”

          “What?” she wasn’t entirely sure Danse had spoken at first,

          “Hancock. He’s ok, upset and really really angry with me but… ok”

          “Good”

          “Do you need anything? Water or coffee or anything?”

          “Water would be nice, I need to get rid of this hangover but I think once I feel a bit better I need to get out of here. It’ll do me good to go kill something, maybe I’ll see if Preston has any settlements that need help”

          “I will happily accompany you” he said confidently as he climbed off the bed and left the room. Harry gently shook her head and followed him, still wearing the clothes she wore yesterday and stinking of alcohol, it was enough to make her stomach churn,

          “Danse I’ll be fine. I might see if Cait wants to come” he passed her a bottle of barely chilled water straight from the fridge even though it didn’t really work,

          “I would prefer it if I came along” he wasn’t very good at getting a hint,

          “I em… I think I need some girl time… sorry Danse”

          “I assure you I am able to remain quiet, you can talk about anything you would like. Besides I promised to always take care of you”

          “Not this time, I need something you don’t have Danse”

          “And that is?”

          “A vagina… and a female brain. I think I just need to talk this out with the girls, maybe I can take a trip to see Piper or Curie or something”

          “I see, I do not approve but I will be here should you need anything”

          “Thank you Danse” the two of them spent the rest of the day relaxing, or at least Danse was relaxing, Harry was trying with all her might not to lash out every time her soldier got just a little bit too loud.

\-------------------------

          Hancock was staring at the mess he had made of the jukebox and trying to figure out how to even begin putting it back together when he heard voices and the unmistakable clatter of Danse’s footsteps. The ghoul froze in place for too long, listening and so was too late to just run and hide when they rounded the corner and made their way towards him,

          “Hancock” Danse spoke stiffly with an equally stiff nod, the ghoul ignored this awkward greeting because Harry was stood partially behind him with her head down it was like she was pretending to be anywhere but here,

          “Harry… love… I…” he didn’t know what to say, this silver tongued, charismatic ladies man just stood there babbling in front of the one woman put on this earth to make him second guess everything,

          “John…” she spoke softly, still not looking at him and he could feel the hurt and regret dripping off the short syllable. He almost dared to hope she was there to talk, to get this all over with and come back to him, the next words destroyed that idea, “I came to get some of my things, that’s all”

          “Sunshine, please talk to me” she glanced up and their eyes met for a second but she couldn’t take the hurt in his expression and looked back towards the ground. Hancock’s gut twisted into a painful knot,

          “I can’t… I’m sorry I just need to sort my head out a bit. I’m gonna go out, kill some things. I’ll be back, I promise”

           “So you’re going out with him?” he gestured at her armoured honour guard, angry at the idea of her running off with him,

           “NO” she all but shouted, looking up quickly with her own furious fire burning the sadness from her eyes, she took a deep breath and composed herself, “with Cait”

          “Right”

          “What… what happened to the juke box?”

          “I did. I’ll fix it”

          “No, don’t worry about it”

          “I’ll fix it” he wasn’t entirely sure they were talking about the juke box anymore but it didn’t matter, he wanted to fix everything. Harry just nodded and disappeared into the other room, Hancock thought better than to follow her, especially when Danse was stood staring at him with his armoured arms crossed and a look of barely concealed anger on his face. Good to know he knew whose side the soldier was on and Cait for that matter… no! It’s not about picking sides he tried to persuade himself, if this all blew over quickly, if she just needed to get away and think for a while then it would all be back to normal soon enough… wouldn’t it?


	8. Some Other Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry takes some time away with Cait and things get a little steamy. Meanwhile Hancock does what he can to make up for the mess he's made.

          “Well, this is nice for a change” Cait said pointedly, leaning a out of the window like opening in an odd little metal shack they had stumbled upon. Honestly she wasn't wrong, from where it was placed on the top of a hill, the steep incline of an almost vertical cliff on the side with the window, it looked from here like the Commonwealth went on forever. The ratty browns and swaying dry grass pitted in places by large rocks and the occasional rusted car contrasted starkly with the day's perfect blue sky. Yes, it was quite the view, “what's all this for though?”

          “How am I supposed to know?” The ‘this’ she was referring to was the thing that made this cobbled together building so… unique. Set up pointing directly out of the window were a series of gutters, like massive pipes cut in half and pointed at the sky, in which sat some bright red tanks, the type that blew up when you fired at them. In fact the whole of the one room shack was filled with them, “I don't suppose they're for… shooting?”

          “What’d ya mean?” The redhead looked at Harry, one thick brow raised in disbelieving confusion,

          “I think if you hit them at just the right angle they'll go firing off into the sky… though if I'm wrong the whole building’s worth will blow”

          “Wait, you're saying someone built this just to… piss about with exploding things?”

          “I suppose, wouldn't you?”

          “Hell yea! Let's get exploding!” It is possible this was the most exited Cait had ever been, she was jumping up onto the balls of her feet and down again, Harry almost expected her to start clapping any minute like a hyperactive child,

          “Remember the whole ‘if I'm wrong the whole buildings worth will blow’ thing I just said?”

          “Well then just don't be wrong”

          “I don't think that's how it works you know… but yea, OK”

          “FUCK YEA!!!” Cait announced, watching carefully as the Vaultie aimed and fired her trusty 10mm, sending the first of many gas canisters barrell rolling off into the fading blue of the sky. Her companion was pretty much jumping for joy and already lining up the next shot.

          Hours later they were dripping with sweat, tired beyond belief but both giddy and smiling in the, now empty, shack,

          “We'll have to find more of those things and do that again some time… can we… please?” Harry had never seen the troubled girl act like this, it was like time had wound back and she was an excited child again… all it took was about 40 explosions flying through the Commonwealth sky,

          “If you can figure out how to get your hands on some of those gas canister things then sure… I'd love to bring John… oh… yea…” she trailed off, reminded again of their argument and the sour note she had left on.

           Trying to distract herself she rummaged in her bag for food, assuming they would stay the night since darkness was falling rapidly. Only distractions don't work well around a nosy, loudmouth like Cait and she wasn't about to let it drop,

          “You gonna talk about it then?” The redhead stood, hand on hip giving Harry a clear, no nonsense look,

          “If I say no will you keep bugging me until I do?”

          “Either that or I get drunk enough to forget” she flashed a bottle of Scotch, making the liquid slosh around satisfyingly inside, “and it'll be a cold day in hell when your stubbornness outlasts my alcohol tolerance”

          “Right fine… drink up and I'll talk”

          “Just what I wanted to hear, you give up and I get drunk”

          “What do you want to know”

          “That's not how it works” she spotted Harry's look, one that said ‘we do this my way or not at all’ and went on coaxing, “I guess I wanna know is this it? As in the end of you and Hancock or just… for now?”

          “It's not the end, I can't even picture my life without him but… some things need to change”

          “Like what?”

          “I don't really know entirely, we slipped into a dynamic when we spent so much time in Goodneighbour and it worked there because he was literally in charge. Now I don't think we really know what to do when we're somewhere I'm in charge… he doesn't know how to take a step back and… I don't know, stop trying to do everything for me”

           “I don't know much about this relationship stuff since… well you know… it's hard to commit after being sold to a bunch of raping raider arseholes. Anyway, from the little I do know this whole thing is about talking, yapping on at each other constantly about every problem… do that”

            “That was a very very roundabout way of giving very good advice Cait… I'm surprised and more than a little proud”

          “I'm not great with advice, a lot better at other things though” the redhead winked and Harry was taken aback, not entirely sure what to do about such open flirtation. Granted this probably wasn't the best time for it but she would be lying if she said she hadn't pictured Cait in some… less that innocent situations and the way the light caught that cheeky glint in her friend's eye. Well, Harry felt bold enough to give as good as she got,

          “You'll have to tell me about that some time”

          “A few more of these and I might be tempted to show you” she waved the beer bottle she was drinking from in front of her before smirking and taking a sip,

          “Pass me one, if manage to catch up I might let you show me” she accepted her own drink, possibly the third? Not like she had been counting but with a swig of the Lukewarm amber liquid she could feel her tension ease and her worry's seem less bothersome,

          “Wouldn't Hancock mind?” _Damn so close_ , Harry thought to herself, _almost forgot about him for a few minutes._ She didn't chastise her friend for bringing him up though, instead she grinned conspiratorially,

          “I think he'd be more annoyed he couldn't join in than anything else… besides I don't exactly know where we are in this whole relationship thing right now so…”

          “So no?”

          “So maybe later” Cait grinned to herself around the neck of the bottle

          “Good… I may hold you to that”

\-------------------------------

          Hancock was pacing, he didn't know what to do with himself now and after so long it felt odd not having Harry near by. After a lot of heartfelt apologies Danse had forgiven him enough to help with fixing up the jukebox, John was never very good with electronics. The big tin can had gone off to find another of the fairly common things to pull apart and bring back replacements for the pieces too damaged to fix. He had insisted on going on his own (probably didn't want to ruin his street cred being seen with a ghoul) and now Hancock was left truly alone for the first time in his memory.

          Before Harry there had always been Fahrenheit at his side like something between a loyal bodyguard and a chronic rash, before that he'd always been around the drifters. In fact thinking back the last time he had really been alone had been when he took trips between Diamond City and Goodneighbour in his well spent youth. Now he just hoped Harry would return soon, he hoped fixing the jukebox would go some way towards showing her how sorry he was, he hoped she would forgive him even when he didn't entirely understand why she was mad. Hell he really hoped she'd explain exactly why she was so upset.

\-------------------------------

          Red rocket felt like home and it's comforting familiarity eased Harry's nerves. It's not like she had to forgive Hancock, or make any big decisions today but somehow coming home felt like the end of something. The end of them being parted maybe? The end of her freedom? Not that she would miss that too much, she'd rather have her ghoul back but… he needed to understand… they needed to talk.

          She found him outside, slouched on the old airplane seats by the campfire, these days kept out of sentimentality since the inside was pretty much perfect. Back curved and elbows on his knees, hands steepled and pointing in front of him the ghoul stared into the fire. It was like he was trying to curl into himself, become as small as possible. Harry traced her eyes over the lines of his body, the scarred flesh of his hands that she knew every dip and whorl of. In the late afternoon sun he looked like he was made of marble, the shadows casting just so to turn the scarred flesh into something hard.

          A hand on her shoulder almost made her jump, she was so lost in staring at him she had forgotten about Cait. The brawler just smiled at her and nodded, waving her hand in a silent goodbye before heading off in the direction of Sanctuary,

          “Hancock” he started, spinning in the double seat to stare at her, somehow his normally black rimmed eyes looked even more sunken, the sparkle in the midnight gone. Harry hated that she was doing this to him,

          “You usually call me John”

          “I know”

          “I… Harry…” she watched him reach up and rub the back of his neck, something he did on the rare occasions he was nervous. He stood, hands held out in defeat as he took one step closer to her then stopped,

          “Cait went home” Harry couldn't think of what to say while a million thoughts were welling up behind her eyes,

          “She did… look… Harriette…” he finally lifted his gaze to stare directly at her and she felt all the barriers melt. Every promise she had made to herself not to just, give in, to stand her ground, they all failed to matter as she looked into his tired face,

          “John” she whispered his name and in a second he had cleared the space between them, wrapping her in arms that felt like home,

          “Harry I'm so sorry, I love you” kisses rained down on her head from his ruined lips, each punctuated with an, “I love you” and she could feel her heart beating in the tears in her eyes,

          “John I love you too… please… please don't…”

          “Don’t what love?” He pushed back from her, holding her head in his hands so he could look at her. Black eyes glittering with panic stared into hers and it broke her heart,

          “I had… I had so much to say and then I see you and it's all gone”

           “You can say anything sunshine, I'm here and ready to listen”

          “But… but you made it all… go… you just looked at me like that and I'm braindead”

           “Shit, good to know I still have that effect on you” he blurted out, making Harry laugh despite herself, she glared through her laughter and punched him in the arm,

          “Don't do that… fuck John don't make me laugh and forgive you before you know why I… why I was upset”

          “OK OK fine, I'll hold back my dazzling good looks and wonderful sense of humour for a while” he reached out and took her hand, the roughness against her skin like second nature, “let's go inside and I'll put on a serious face and get scolded… in all seriousness I want to listen, I think I understand, sort of but… talk to me, please”

          “John, how do you always know what to say?”

          “It's a gift”

\-------------------------------

          Sunlight still peaked over the horizon while Hancock listened and his head spun. The things Harry was saying made perfect sense, he had slipped into such a caring role since her attack that he found it hard to just let her do things herself. He'd loved her as a beautiful spark of fire and determination and above all else kindness but he was on his way to forgetting that when she woke at night screaming and crying. It hurt, the fact that they had both (yes both) lost track of who they really were in the wake of what happened over the past year,

          “I'm not blaming you John, please don't think I'm blaming you I just… we both just need to figure this out”

          “Told you I was in this for the long haul didn't I? That hasn't changed. What do we do now?”

           “I don't know… maybe start with this…” he almost leapt off the seat when her hand grasped his thigh but she had quickly straddled him, giving him no chance to move,

          “I never thought I'd say this but sex doesn't solve everything” he blurted out before her lips found his, they were soft and warm just like he remembered. God she had only been gone a couple of days but he realised now it had felt like he was holding his breath the whole time,

          “It can't hurt” a smile graced her face while she looked down at him and his stomach flipped at the promises it made. They were soft and sensual and her heavy lidded eyes spoke volumes about how she felt, at home, at peace. Then sadness, and she turned serious in a second, “please John, I know we need to do so much more to make this work but… I missed you… I need you”

          “That's what I like to hear” he purred, remnants of his lips meeting hers before he'd finished the sentence. With practiced ease he lifted her and tipped them both, her landing on the soft cushions of the sofa with an ‘oof’ before he landed between her long legs,

          “I love you John” she whispered into the top of his head while his mouth found her collarbone and covered it in slow tender kisses. He needed this, needed her and this closeness like he needed air and God he was going to make the most of it,

          “I love you Harry” he muttered into the top of her chest, pulling apart the buttons of her plaid shirt slowly, one at a time while his lips chased the newly revealed skin. She was warm, skin flushed against him and already her chest heaved with heavy breaths,

           “So eager”

          “For you? Always” the sharp intake of breath when he pulled at the fabric of her weathered bra and took a nipple into his mouth made him groan. The deep guttural sound gushing between teeth he sank slowly into her flesh and it was answered with an arch of her back. Hancock's head was swimming as he ran his tongue over the pink nipple between his teeth and felt Harry start to shake underneath him. She had only been gone a few days but somehow it felt longer, running his scarred fingers over her skin felt like coming home and already his mind was blank of everything but her. He barely noticed anything but the smell of her and the touch of her soft skin until her legs were wrapped around his waist and he was plunging into her. It could have lasted only moments, or it could have been hours before he felt release and the world started to slowly swim back into focus around him,

          “Wow… fuck babe” the exhausted ghoul muttered, the only reply he got was a satisfied hum as Harry melted to the cold cement floor. With a short huff of a laugh he flopped down beside her and pulled her in close, “never felt anything like that”

          “Mmmmmm…. Sleep” she muttered from her spot curled up on his lap,

          “Do I have to carry you?”

          “Yes please”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely love the random shack with the exploding tanks, I had to get it in somewhere.
> 
> I'm actually not far off finishing writing this, it's going to be about 19 chapters long in total and there's a lot more mystery and intrigue coming up.
> 
> Shame I seem to mostly write in the middle of the night when I can't sleep.


	9. Some Time Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After making up Harry and Hancock spend some time alone together away from all the stress.
> 
> This chapter was mostly just an excuse for them to.relax and have some smut before everything starts kicking off.

          She was back in that endless, pitch black nothingness. Maybe if she hadn't started to panic so much Harry would have realised this was a dream but the feeling of chains constricting around her neck prevented her from thinking straight. She was cold and alone in this empty place for longer than she knew, time wasn't working right and everything was so dark. The light when the door opened almost blinded her and where it touched naked skin it burned, a searing, skin melting heat that rendered her unable to even scream. Harry looked up towards the light and saw eyes, dark eyes just… watching… emotionless.

          Harry sat up screaming, fear running through her veins like ice, her breath short and her heart pounding in her chest. She felt a hand on her hip and jumped before recognizing the rough feel of Hancock’s touch against her skin, he pulled her down into an embrace and held her there whilst she caught her breath, sleepily kissing the top of her head.

          It was dark out, she didn’t know how long she’d been dreaming, in the nightmare it had felt like years but also seconds. Curled up and warmed by Hancock’s body Harry felt her eyes closing and drifted off into a blessedly dreamless sleep.

\-------------------------

          It was afternoon when Harry woke again, the buzzing sound of at least twenty turrets filtered in from their strategic spots outside. The windowless room let in little light but she could see shadows dancing on the floor in the next room. Hancock wasn't beside her but that wasn't exactly surprising, she must have slept half the day away.

          Pulling on an almost clean, very big t-shirt and nothing else she set off to find him. After a lot of confused searching she climbed the rickety wooden staircase round the back and found him lounging on the big roof. Laid out on a Sun lounger (she could remember dragging that thing up there) he appeared to be dozing, each lithe muscle relaxed, each stunning line of him curving lazily towards the ground. His face was covered with his signature tricorn, a shield from the early afternoon Sun that blazed down. The cigarette butt barely clinging on to the skin of his fingers told her he’d not been here long.

          Harry drank her fill of him in a state that few people saw, feeling a soft sensation forming between her legs at the sight. She sauntered up, grinning languidly and threw one leg over him, sinking down until she was sat in his lap straddling his hips. A scarred hand raised to lift the brim of his hat just enough for one eye to open and look her over with a lazy grin,

          “Morning sleepyhead” he mumbled, lips parting and a hungry tongue darting out as his eyes roamed along her thighs,

          “I could say the same to you” she purposefully shifted her weight, making sure to wriggle just so and was rewarded by feeling him start to harden underneath her. His hands ran along her thighs, rough against her sensitive skin and sending a shiver up her spine and tingles in their wake. He reached up under her shirt to grab her hips and the lazy smirk was replaced with a delighted look of shock,

          “Wait… you're not…” he sat up and pulled the t-shirt up, his hat falling to the side he lifted the loose fabric and pushed his head underneath, “fuck love you're naked under here”

          “Am I?” she asked in feigned shock, “God damnit the panty burglar has been at it again”

          “Stop it with the sarcasm you” he pulled the shirt up and off entirely’ gazing up at her, “and you can wipe that self satisfied grin off your face too”

          “What?” she tried, only partially successfully, to mold her features into something resembling serious. It almost worked until her evil ghoul wrapped his mouth around a nipple, sinking his teeth in just enough for her to cry out and buck her hips against him. While his mouth continued to tease her breasts, a painful bite followed by a soothing swirl of the tongue, his hands roamed freely around her body, leaving her with the heady and erotic sense of being worshipped. She moaned and felt herself relax against his touch as the warm Sun combined with his expert hands worked out the slightest kink in every muscle,

          “Get up” he commanded her and she did, biting her lip and rubbing her thighs together feeling spikes of pleasure at his commanding tone. He undid his flag belt and fly and slowly rubbed his hand over his cock as he looked over her naked body,

          “come here” he gestured towards his face and she looked at him with confusion for a second until he raised an eyebrow as if to say ‘Who's in charge here’. She did as he said, looking down at him as he licked his lips and parted her legs, lifting one and draping it over his shoulder,

          “John what are you… ohhhhh” Harry said as he placed his hands on her hips and lowered her down, cutting her off when his skilled tongue swirled around her clit and pleasure spiked right up to her core.

          She covered her face in embarrassment until his tender ministrations made her forget herself and her hips started moving against him involuntarily. Back arched and crying out into the sky she felt powerful and beautiful and the feeling was enough to throw her over the edge, drenching Hancock’s face in her juices. She fell back, her arms giving way and leaving her laid with her head at Hancock’s knees. He wriggled her about, pliable as she was in her post orgasmic state, until he was able to sit up and look down on her. It wasn't long enough until Harry came to her senses and covered her face in shame, lifting herself up until she felt his arms wrap around her,

          “Hey, what's wrong beautiful?” he asked but she couldn't look at him,

          “Well… I… you know” she gestured towards him and his glistening face with one hand still covering her eyes and feeling her face heat up,

          “Hahahahaha fuck that, I loved it!” he barked out, taking both hands in his and pulling them down so that she looked at him,

          “Really?”

          “Yea, don't believe me just take a look” he moved her down his legs, freeing his cock to sit long and hard between them, proof of how much he'd loved her coming while she straddled his face. With a dirty grin he lifted her and positioned her over him,

          “I love it when you get all cute and embarrassed” he told her before pulling her down and plunging inside of her with an erotic, almost feral grunt. Harry would have told him off but lost every urge to chastise him with the incredible feeling of fullness, letting a string of unintelligible mumbles escape instead. She couldn't help but set a fast pace, burning and desperate for release again as her insides coiled tighter and she rode him like she had waited a hundred years for this.

          He thrust into her, matching her pace as they fucked with a burning passion, exquisite tension building in her groin until, with a shuddering scream the world filled with stars and her mind blanked. She flopped forward onto Hancock's torso where his arms enveloped her and he went on thrusting, bringing her through the last spasms of her orgasm until he found his own release. They laid like that, wrapped up in each others arms, just breathing in and smiling in silence for hours.

\-------------------------

          “So you gonna tell me about the nightmare last night?” Hancock broke the comfortable silence and cursed himself a little but he just couldn't hold back the curiosity any longer. It had been different from the usual, where she would simply whimper a little before waking with a scream. This dream had been worse from the outside, he'd been woken repeatedly in the night by her shouting out or thrashing just to realise she was still asleep and unwakeable.

          When she finally did sit up, screaming he was so fatigued he barely registered it, just pulling her close until she drifted off again. Even feeling like that he noticed that she was covered in a thin film of cold sweat and her eyes were wide with panic like a baby deer,

          “It wasn't like the usual ones” he nodded, guessing as much and listened as she described the horror in minute detail, adding to the end, “what do you think it means?”

          “I think it means you've been through a lot of shit and it's taking a lot of effort to deal with that” he assured her, squeezing her shoulders in his rough arms,

          “I don't know… the whole time I was dreaming, chained up like that and burning, it felt almost like I… deserved it”

           “Why in the hell would you deserve that?” he cried passionately because he felt passionate about this, she was the bravest, kindest, most amazing person he had ever met and he wouldn't for one second let her believe she deserves anything less than a perfect life,

         “I've killed a lot of people, even my own son and maybe I should feel more guilty about that than I do”

          “You stopped a monster, there's nothing to feel guilty about there” they both paused while Harry looked deep in thought,

          “I keep wondering if maybe… with me being… different… I don’t really understand how this whole, post war courtship thing works… did I do something… I mean with Maxson… and Bobby… did I give them the wrong impression?” He could tell she was struggling with this, it felt like she was admitting something she’d been holding in for a long time and Hancock cursed himself for not thinking about it sooner, of course she would blame herself, of course she’d think she did something to cause all this pain and upset.

          He sighed and stared out over the rolling brown hills in the distance, bathed in late afternoon sunlight, while he gathered his thoughts. When he turned back to look at her she was watching him closely with those big brown eyes full of worry,

          “I’ll put it this way, if you had walked upto me completely naked and started grinding on my lap that wouldn’t have been a good enough reason for me to do those horrible things Maxson did to you. He was a sick messed up bastard that didn’t deserve the life given to him. As far as Bobby, I don’t trust him but I think he’s mostly just messed up, living out here can do that to a kid and hopefully with a push in the right direction he’ll be… ok”

          “Why don’t you trust him?”

          “My gut just tells me not to and it’s never steered me wrong before… come on sunshine let’s head inside and sort out some food or something, I don’t know about you but I’m starving” he leaned down and grabbed the T-shirt from where it sat in a lump on the floor, helping her cover herself with it before they made their way back down.

          By the time they had eaten the sun would be setting and he already felt like he’d had enough serious conversation for one day. After a full day of just enjoying being alone together Harry became restless again. Despite the fact that he knew it wasn’t about him, that she loved him and it was just how she was it always hurt Hancock a little that she was always so eager to end times like this. He eventually spoke up when he noticed her staring off into the distance for probably the 15th time,

          “Need a change of scenery sunshine?”

          “What gave it away?”

          “Oh I don't know, the pacing, the staring off into the distance… just little subtle clues” he sighed looking at her sheepish expression “we could always head to Goodneighbor for a bit”

          “You know that might just be a good idea” her whole demeanour brightened up at that and he couldn't help smiling,

          “Alright get your stuff packed up and we'll head off”


	10. Not So Goodneighbour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pair if lovebirds take some time in Goodneighbour to relax. But even in the safety of John's town there's something afoot.

          “Hurry up, we're nearly there” Harriette could feel a spring in her step when she saw the glow of the neon that meant home,

          “Sunshine I'm an old man, you gotta take it slow” Hancock was lagging behind, mostly because he had insisted on stopping to loot some dead supermutants while she ran ahead,

          “You don't get to use that excuse when you can go non stop for hours in bed”

          “That's different, I want to do that all night, I don't want to run all the way from Sanctuary to Goodneighbour”

           “So you have selective oldness?” she laughed, pushing through the red door and into the bustling streets of her favourite town. Well maybe second favourite, maybe, it was close.

          Daisy was the first to spot them, almost running out of her store to give them both a welcoming hug. The ghoul woman was full of questions but Hancock waved them off, promising to talk later at the third rail before pulling Harry into the state house. The neighbourhood watch just nodded as they passed, like they always had before.

          Hand clutched in hers Hancock almost ran up the stairs and into their plush bedroom, left exactly how it had been last time they were here,

          “I'm getting you out of those clothes” he told Harry, the filthy grin sending a shiver down her back,

          “John, we just got here, I stink!” she made a point of theatrically lifting her arms and sniffing at her armpits, god they were a bit ripe,

          “And that is precisely why I'm going to run us a bath and spend at least and hour in it”

          “Together?”

          “Yes together” she smiled at his answer and happily allowed herself to be led into the bathroom.

\--------------------------

          It wasn't an hour though. Hancock had just started to run soapy hands along that body he loved when there was a hammering at the door,

          “What?!” he yelled, irritated at the interruption, his only answer a muffled set of noises from the other side of two doors and a bedroom, “JUST COME IN”

          “HANCOCK” Harry barked, high pitched and pushing him off so she could cover herself up with her hands,

          “I didn't mean come in here”

          “They don't know that!”

          “I'm gonna have to get up to deal with this aren't I?”

          “Yes you are”

          “Fine” he said with a deep sigh before hauling himself out of the bathtub and wrapping a towel low around his hips.

          It was Fahrenheit, surprisingly, mad about him not coming to see her as soon as he got to town. His ex bodyguard had said something about him still being the mayor and still having duties, honestly he'd just let his mind wander to the naked beauty in the next room. Dismissing Fahrenheit with promises of a proper meeting Hancock returned to the bathroom, only it was too late, Harry was already getting dressed,

          “Awww come on doll you're killing me here” she at least has the decency to look a little sheepish,

          “John, you go deal with business, the bathtub will still be here tonight”

          “But this was supposed to be about us”

          “And it will be, right after you're done with Fahrenheit. Now, I'm going down to the third rail, join me when you're done” she kissed him sweetly as she passed, a signal that he didn't get to argue any further. With slumped shoulders and an urge to throw a tantrum he made his way to the old meeting room.

\--------------------------

          She was already a couple of drinks in, chatting about everything from the weather to the state of the library with Daisy. Her head was a little swimmy when she looked up to see Hancock descending the stairs and didn't he look like a dream in her slightly drunk state,

          “Heya Daisy” he greeted the other ghoul while wrapping an arm around Harry and kissing her temple,

          “Well hello there Mr Mayor” the ghoul shopkeeper said with a smile in his direction, “and what brought our distinguished leader here this time?”

          “The two of us wanted to live it up on the wild side a bit, Sanctaury’s a bit quiet for my tastes”

          “I thought you liked it there” Harry couldn't help being a little offended, after all it was unofficially her town,

          “Don't get me wrong sunshine, I love down time there, relaxing in the sun and whatnot but sometimes you gotta live it up”

          “hummm… I see your point” she mumbled, by this point he'd flagged down Charlie and supplied the three of them with fresh drinks. They were all ready to settle into a good night of drinking when a clearly worked up Farenheit came running down the stairs and straight towards them. Harry's stomach dropped, something awful must have happened to get the stoic bodyguard that distressed,

          “Boss… Boss you gotta… oh god… you gotta come” Fahrenheit panted out,

          “Jesus Farh, what's happened?”

          “I can't… just come” Harry had watched the short exchange while panic grew in her. Hancock took her by the elbow and led her up the stairs with him and out into the quickly dropping light of the evening.

          What greeted them was a sight she hoped never to see again, even after all this time in the wastelands it nearly made her puke. Strung up on the junk fence near the door to the town was a drifter, dead, her arms outstretched like the old pictures of Jesus on the cross. She wore a familiar outfit, the blue and yellow of a vault Tec jumpsuit marred with red where barbed wire pushed through her flesh.

          Harry wasn't sure if it was just her imagination or the woman really did look like her, short red hair and a sanguine face with her large eyes closed. She hadn't realised she was moving until she was close enough to inspect the body. Only then did she notice the slight movement in her chest,

          “Oh god” she whispered in shock,

          “SHE'S ALIVE… Jesus Christ she's alive” After that everyone was running and shouting, the doctor was called and three people tried to get the poor woman down but it was no use. By the time Amari got there she was already gone. Hancock, to everyone's surprise, rounded on Fahrenheit,

          “HOW LONG WAS SHE UP THERE?” he shouted, grabbing at the womans armour and pushing her back, “YOU CAME TO GET ME… HOW LONG?”

          “I… I don't know” the poor bodyguard looked shell shocked, something Harry never thought she would see, “KLE-0 saw it first, she sent someone to get me… could have been ten, maybe even twenty minutes”

          “And no one thought to check?”

          “With that much blood, that many wounds, no one thought there was any way… John I'm sorry”

          “Fine” he deflated with a sigh, dropping his grip on the woman, “you didn't know just… just make sure she gets a good send off” Fahrenheit nodded,

          “Harriette you should come look at this” Harry had been so distracted by her ghouls argument with his bodyguard that she had forgotten the doctor was still examining the body until this point. She looked in her direction and walked over tentatively,

          “Yes Amari?”

          “Look” the doctor nodded and had the men help her turn over the body, no longer in it's arms out position but still filled with barbed wire. The suit, though covered in more blood than should be in one human still clearly held the numbers one, one, one. It was from her vault,

          “What? No that's not… it's impossible” she took a step back, filled with so many warring emotions she didn't know which would come spilling out first,

          “There's this too” the doctor looked somber as she held up something Harry had thought long gone. The rounded square pages made of some sort of strong card had held up well through 200 years, now it was covered in splatters of still sticky blood but clearly held the word “special” on it's front. She took the baby book from Amari, she had to know, so despite the fear building she opened the first page and there it was, under the section for a name “Shaun Monroe” in her dead husband's handwriting.

          She collapsed the the floor, tears streaming from wide eyes and within seconds Hancock was at her side, pulling the baby book from her grasp and looking it over, “Shit sunshine”

          “She looks like me” it was all she could think to say, all she could manage to process at this point. Hancock nodded into her shoulder where he was crouched beside her, holding her in a tight embrace.


	11. We're Through

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in Sanctuary Harry has a flashback and Hncock doesn't take it too well.

          It had been days since they returned to the red rocket, Harry had mostly been pacing and muttering to herself. Her obvious distress hurt Hancock and he'd been doing all he could to distract her

          “You wanna head to Sanctuary? They’re probably ready to dish up the evening meal about now” Despite most of the settled houses now having their own means of cooking, some having fires out back and others having fixed up old stoves, the townsfolk still made a meal every night that anyone who wanted some could turn up to. It was always full of talk and laughter and there was usually at least half the residents there at any given time, along with other visitors. It would do Harry some good to be around the community again and, though he wouldn’t admit it to her, it would be a chance for him to see Bobby and make sure the kid is… behaving himself,

          “You know what, that sounds like a good idea… let me go get dressed” she smiled at him, a small but tough little thing that tugged at his heartstrings, then vanished off into their bedroom. The ghoul busied himself with flicking through some magazines while he waited, he never had to change since he almost always wore the same thing,

          “Right, done, let’s go” Harry pranced in wearing a beautiful dusky rose dress, the sleeves ending just below her elbows and the waist nipped in. With her hair growing back now and sitting just below the shoulders in a relaxed wave she looked the picture perfect pre-war housewife, is this what she always looked like back then?

          “You look a picture doll… lets move” he took her arm and wrapped his own around it, getting deja vu from the time so long ago when he had lead this beautiful creature dressed in the finest satin down to the third rail. It felt like so much had changed since then, but also… nothing at all,

          “What’s up? You look… wistful”

          “Just thinking… about the past… about us… about everything”

          “Don’t think too hard” she teased with a grin. The pair rounded the corner to Sanctuary to see the place lit up, stalls filled with wares, their owners looking ready to pack up for the night, were set out in a building on the foundations of an old house and that’s where Harry headed, smiling at the people milling around. Hancock hung back while she talked her way through the place, a keen eye on her just in case but she seemed to be fine, no one crowding her or demanding she do anything. Maybe the ghouls outburst on their last trip there had helped calm them down.

          Once he was sure Harry was ok he turned to the nearest stall, the one run by the pre war ghoul known as Vault-tec rep. No one knew his name, chances are he didn’t remember it but he remembered Vault-tec and until recently had carried his anger with them for 200 years. As usual Harry helped with that, giving the man a home and a purpose, reason to keep going,

          “How you doing Rep?” Hancock asked, lighting a cigarette and letting his eyes roam over the merchandise on the little stall,

          “Oh not too bad sir, not a lot to complain about these days”

          “No, I guess not”

          “And it’s your lovely woman I’m to thank for it all… can I get you anything?” John was about to shake his head when something in a basket on the counter gleamed at him and he stopped to pick it up. A small gold ring with some clear white gem set in it, the thing sparkled with a million colours as he looked at it,

          “What’s this?” he asked, holding the thing up to the seller,

          “Ohh you don’t want Harry to see you with that! It’s an engagement ring” when Hancock just looked confused at the older ghoul he smiled and went on to elaborate, “back before the war it was custom for a man to give one to a woman when he wished to marry her, he would get down on one knee in front of her and ask, if she said yes he would put the ring on her finger and they would be engaged to be married. It’s not something people do these days and those old fashioned ones are very rare”

          “Humm you don’t say” Hancock looked over at Harry, her head bent close to Cait’s whispering god knows what and started thinking.

\------------------------------------------

          “God I’m so full” Harry said patting her belly and leaning back in the chair after her last bite of the hearty radstag stew, her ghoul just smiled at her, “I’m gonna waddle over and talk to Preston, you gonna be ok?”

           “Yea course I am love” she smiled at his answer and pulled herself reluctantly from the chair, heading in the direction she saw her second in command vanish after he’d finished eating. She didn’t make it too far though before a small hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind a house. The bile rose up in her throat and her heart clenched with panic as she felt herself gasping for breath and could swear she heard laughing close to her ear as she looked at Bobby’s concerned face as it swam in and out of focus, the too familiar blackness clouding the edges of her vision.

          Harry wanted to fight, her instincts told her to go for her gun but she was frozen in place as panic took hold, she distantly realised that the high pitched noise she could hear was coming from her but she had no way of stopping it. This felt like an out of body experience and she felt rather than saw Maxsons presence as she clasped her eyes shut and images of that dark, cold room flashed before her eyes.

          It was only when Danses warm hands took hers that she became aware of her surroundings again, the icy chill slowly seeping from her veins while her friend spoke to her in calming words. She wondered why Hancock hadn’t come to her rescue but as the real world came into focus she got a quick answer. Bobby was pinned against a wall, the fearsome ghoul mayor's hand around his throat, bruises forming on his face and blood running from his nose, thankfully Preston was holding Hancock’s other hand and struggling to keep him back from his relentless beating,

          “H-Hancock” Harry called out, her voice should have been loud, admonishing him but it came out small and weak and a moment later all the adrenaline slipped from her body and she burst into tears,

           “Oh fuck Harry” her ghoul stopped his onslaught and immediately ran over to her, reaching tentatively towards her “What did he do to you?”

          “DON’T TOUCH ME” she screamed, violently jerking back from his touch,

          “What? Harry what happened?” his voice was full of concern as he looked at his hand as though it had been burnt,

          “He’s just a kid, you beat up a kid without even asking what happened… why? Why would you do that?”

           “Harry you were here and looking so… so…. And he had his hands on you and I just… assumed...Harry I’m sorry”

           “NO, YOU’RE NOT… THAT’S IT… that’s it… we’re through” her voice grew quieter and finally broke on the last word, as Danse led her away she glanced back at the man she loved, just standing there in shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I mean I'm a bit sorry. Kinda.


	12. Dairy Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and MacCready leave Sanctuary and find their way to Cabot House.

          “Hey, Harry, you alright?” It was Mac, his young voice twisting in sympathy while he looked at Harry’s body slumped over at the bar,

          “No”

          “Wanna talk about it?”

          “No”

          “Wanna kill something?”

          “Yes” she brightened up a little at that suggestion and turned to face the merc, pulling on the smallest smile, “actually I got a job a while back I've been meaning to chase up on but I've no idea what it's likely to be”

          “Sounds… mysterious. Ok I'm in, lead on” the Merc gave her a grin and a wink before following her out into the wilderness.

\------------------------------------

          Cabot house was… well it was like nothing on this earth, not anymore. Granted Harry had seen bigger fancier houses in her life but not since the bombs dropped had she seen anything so pristine. The front lawn, which was surprisingly well kept if a little brown, was guarded by not only Gutsy robots but a sentry too, it's booming computerised voice warning the pair to keep off the grass.

          She looked over at her filthy Merc friend who looked so uncomfortable she could almost laugh… almost. Inside was breathtaking, even more pristine than the outside and MacCready looked so out of his element, almost as though he was worried he might make the place dirtier just by his presence. He unsurprisingly elected not to sit down when offered a seat by the somewhat ditzy Jack Cabot,

          “Tell me, do you believe in extraterrestrial life?” the man asked, Harry ignored the scoff from her companion and for a while just blinked at Jack, knocked off course by such an odd question,

          “You mean like… little green men?”

          “Oh of course not, that's all science fiction for the bored masses. No I'm talking about something from before the early human civilisations, something more advanced than we are today”

          “Surely that wouldn't be extra terrestrial? Not if they were from here just… millions of years ago”

           “Perhaps, though looking to space would answer a lot if questions such as where these early people came from. But back to my question, do you believe?”

          “I suppose so, it's only logical that there would be something else out there, some intelligent life because there's certainly bugger all down here”

          “Ha Ha Ha” his laugh was, odd, very pronounced as though the man was saying the words not actually laughing, “a very fair point indeed”

          “Jack, can I…?” the imposingly large ghoul bodyguard, Edward Deegan, spoke up from where he was hovering in the back of the room,

          “Oh of course, I'm sorry I tend to get a little carried away sometimes. Tell them about your job Edward” with that Jack dismissed himself and left his bodyguard to talk to 

          Turns out the job itself was far out of the city limits, near a place called Parsons Insane Asylum. There was gonna be a lot more walking before this was done. Unfortunately walking gave Harry time to think, at least Mac was a loudmouth, she could rely on him to keep talking throughout.

\-----------------------------------

          Hancock hadn't been able to stay in Sanctuary very long after their argument, every minute was reminders of her and everyone looked at him with barely masked hate. He thought for a while about wandering off into the glowing sea and just losing himself, surely that much radiation and this much sadness would drive him out of his mind soon enough. But when he reached into his pocket for his ever comforting Jet his finger brushed something else and he knew he had to keep going.

          After a week or so (he'd honestly lost track of time) of wandering aimlessly around the commonwealth he found himself back at the familiar neon sign. It's like his feet just lead him there of their own accord. His office was much the same as always, dark, A bit dusty, covered in chems. Hancock felt like the whole world should have shifted the second she left but everything else just went on as usual,

          “John” for a second he thought it was Harry, there were so few people who used that name but turning he saw the sad face of his second in command,

          “You heard then?”

          “Yea… how you holding up?” Fahrenheit asked him,

          “Oh I'm fine, don't I always bounce back?” he tried putting on a brave face but it was clear she wasn't buying it,

          “Whatever you say boss. What's next?”

          “Next we figure out who's been crucifying drifters alive in my town. That ain't something I stand for”

          “But not for her sake?”

          “Who?”

          “Whatever you say Boss” the redhead sighed and flopped down on the sofa, ready to start the hard work of figuring this one out. Hancock sat opposite, reminding himself he was doing this because he wanted to protect the drifters, not for Harry's sake. Maybe if he told himself enough he's believe it.

\-----------------------------

           “This it? Don't see much activity” Mac surveyed the creamery they'd been sent to by the surly woman who ran the security for Parsons Insane Asylum. Harry had to agree it looked mostly empty,

          “Don't suppose there's all that many creameries in this area” she looked over at her Merc friend, not pulling the most convinced look out of him,

           “What the hel- heck is a creamery anyway?”

          “It's… um… it's” Harry couldn't help but giggle as she tried to figure out how to explain this “You know how you can milk Brahmin?”

          “Yea…”

          “Before the war there were cows, like Brahmin but with one head… well they used to get milked in places like this, then the cream would get bottled. Then people would have it in cereals and in tea”

          “That's… pretty disgusting boss”

          “You know what… I think I agree” Mac seemed happy with that answer and the pair crouched to sneak towards the building expecting to be shot at at any moment. Only no shots came, they snuck right up to the building with nothing happening inside.

           Harry's stomach began to twist into knots, something wasn't right. A gentle push had the huge barn door creaking open to reveal a bloodbath. The bodies of raiders, red pooling underneath each, littered the straw strewn floor. Not a single bullet had hit them and there wasn't evidence that any one of their bullets had hit it's mark. Instead each body had been burned through, laser weapons.

          Then the sun came out from behind the clouds and a shadow was cast across the floor from a great glass window in the top of the barn. Staring up at it was like being back in a church, the light filtered through dirty glass casting the shape of the ultimate martyr on the cross. Harry couldn't move, her eyes fixed solidly on the body, this time winched high above them in a spot clearly chosen for the theatre of it. It made her sick to her stomach, the way the barbed wire ripped through muscle and the blood stained a vault suit she was sure would have the same numbers on the back.

          Even from here she could see it, the last insult, clearly tying this body to her, Shaun’s rattle was wrapped around the woman's neck with a piece of string. Another thing that had been taken,

          “Fuck” she barely registered the rare curse that slipped from MacCready's lips. Then the realisation struck her, what if this woman, like the last, had been alive at first, left there to die slowly. She would have been so scared, in so much pain and all alone. The thought made her retch, knees giving out below her, landing on all fours to vomit on the floor. Harry's whirling stomach emptied itself, the strong muscles contracting until they hurt. A gentle hand ran along her back and when she couldn't manage any more she collapsed into MacCready's arms, Sobbing.

\-------------------------------- 

            In the end he'd carried her out of there and set up camp nearby. Harry just sobbed endlessly until there was no more left in her. Then she reached into her pack and pulled out a bottle,

          “You sure about that boss” Mac asked her, eyeing up the whiskey,

          “Every time I close my eyes I see it” her voice came out hoarse and broken, “I want to get so drunk I can't see anymore”

          “I understand that… I'll join you”

          “Here's to forgetting” she raised the bottle in toast then took a swig, the burn on the way down feeling cleansing. She passed the bottle over and like that they drank until the world spun and everything seemed like a good idea,

           “Hav you evr been skinny Dippn?” Mac slurred at her, she giggled like a schoolgirl,

           “Well… there was thisss one time in… in college”

           “Oh Yea? Luv to seeee tha”

           “I could show you” she tried for her best sultry expression but honestly it could have looked like anything,

           “Not… not good idea Arry” that stung a bit, but Harry was too drunk to care,

          “Don't you want me?” she poured at him, hoping it was a good look, “Don't you want ta kis me?”

          “Jesus Arry… corse I do… still not good idea” she didn't answer him this time, just leaned forward, bracing her hands on his thighs as she leaned closer. She could feel his breath against her lips as she closed her eyes and kissed him. Mac's full lips felt soft against hers but she wanted more, gently coaxing his lips open with her tongue she hummed at the taste of him, liquor and smoke. He smelled like gun oil and dirt and felt so different to Hancock, she never imagined it would be a welcome change.

          One hand drifted from his lap to his chest, drunken fingers struggling to undo the buttons there while her hand brushed against his chest. At first he melted into the touch and Harry liked the way she could feel him losing himself in her. But too soon he pushed her away,

          “No No Arry it's wrong” he slurred at her, even as his eyes roamed over her body, a clear indication he wanted her,

           “I just want to forget” she whispered, still close to him and lifted a hand to work at his buttons again,

           “You're so hard to resist” he murmured back, not trying very hard to pull away,

           “Then don't” Harry leaned in for another kiss and this time he didn't stop her, giving in to his own temptation, his hands joining hers to help undo the buttons revealing his chest. He was warm and soft, skin spattered with just a little hair and Harry ran her hands over his lithe muscles.

           Tentatively he moved to her zip, the one that would reveal her if he pulled it all the way down. When he pulled it down he let out a soft gasp, realising she wasn't wearing a bra underneath and he reverently laid his calloused hands against her breasts. A touch to her nipple had Harry gasping and the hand still on his lap moving upwards to brush against his erection,

          “You're so beautiful” he said after breaking the kiss to look at her, adoration in his voice. She loved it, she loved being looked at like that, the way his eyes sparked like he couldn't believe how lucky he was. In response she reached up and pulled the vault suit off entirely, taking her knickers with it, until she was stood above him naked. Mac looked up at her like she was a goddess and that expression sparked a yearning deep inside, she was wet just from the way he looked at her, worshipful.

          He crawled over to her and, still on his knees ran a hand up her leg, cupping her ass and bringing his face into the hair between her legs. She wasn't sure but she may have heard him take in a deep lungful, smelling her. When his tongue pushed its way between her legs she opened them just a little, enough for his long dexterous tongue to find her clit. It made her knees weak when he ran circles around that sensitive spot and he had to catch her and lower her before she fell,

          “I've wanted to do this so long boss” him calling her that, in such an intimate situation sent a shockwave straight to her cunt.

          He didn't wait for a response before he was exploring her again, his mouth wrapping around her, his tongue and fingers exploring her, making note of everything that brought a gasp or moan from her and doing it again until she was soaked and writhing. He didn't take his eyes off her for a second as he stood to take off his own clothes in a clumsy rush. Planting one last kiss on her pussy he kissed his way up her stomach between her breasts, light kisses flowing up her neck until he was positioned over her, his naked body against hers,

          “You sure about this?” he sounded completely sober despite their earlier drinking, then again she was feeling less drunk, able to pick up every little detail,

          “Please MacCready I want you” she whined, wriggling against him so that her wet lips moved against his hard cock. He didn't say anything else, pushing into her slowly, too gently when she longed for that stretch, that fullness she already missed. He took her carefully, muttering praise in her ear at every sound she made. It felt close, intimate, far more intense than she had expected and it wasn't long before she felt the familiar coiling in her stomach.

           She cried out, a wordless noise spilling from her as she tipped over the edge, her head spinning and cloudy as Mac collapsed, his head coming to rest above her breast,

          “Been awhile since I've done that, hope I wasn't too rusty” he huffed out between panting breaths, she laughed,

          “Not at all”

          “Good… can I… um… can I hold you while we sleep” he asked so sweetly, so shyly, so unlike the mouthy Merc she knew that it made her smile,

          “Sure” she managed to mutter before her eyelids closed and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry is a bit broken, especially when it comes to sex so please forgive her... she still loves Hancock but right now she's not making the most logical decisions.
> 
> And Mac is so adorable... he tried to resist for her good but damn!


	13. Aliens and Deathclaws

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a run in with raiders leaves them worse for wear Harry and Mac are forced to head to Goodneighbour. Surprisingly Harry manages to make a sort of peace with Hancock and he joins them for the short trip to Cabot House. It turns out to be the best decision he's ever made.

          Things were uncomfortable, Harry didn't regret what happened with Mac but it left a lot of unanswered questions hanging between them. Honestly she didn't know what she wanted and was dreading the time when her companion might ask what last night had meant. That morning they packed up in silence after getting dressed with their backs to each other and then moved on, ready to head back to the relative safety of Cabot House. 

           Luckily the hangover wrenching it's way through Harry's head kept the thoughts at bay, the memories of the past few weeks weren't assailing her half as bad through the piercing headache. It's not like she could rely on Mac for his usual endless chatter on this trip, he barely looked at her other than furtive glances when he thought she wouldn't notice. Shit she really needed to sort her head out and let him know what the night before had meant, she just didn't know herself.

            The trip was going well up until they ran into the inevitable group of raiders on the edge of the river. Camped out in a shack village built between two bigger but entirely tumble down buildings this gang was big. At least twenty raiders were gathered in the place and their position meant Harry and MacCready hadn't realised they were there until the gunfire had already started. Harry hadn't expected it when her companion shoved her out of the way behind a broken wall and sprinted away to a decent spot for sniping. 

          She landed with a thud and it took a moment for her to get her bearings before pulling out a grenade and flinging it in the direction of the raiders. It took out at least one and collapsed the side of one shack giving them a better line of sight. She pulled out her suped up hunting rifle, perfect for mid range and ducked out from behind the wall to take a shot. A searing pain in her shoulder told her she had been shot, but she still managed to take a couple out. 

           Pulling out a .44 handgun she ran forward to the nearest cover and continued firing. Her leg joined the screaming pain club as a bullet ripped through it but she was still ahead, taking out a few more. Only the pain distracted her long enough that she didn't spot the raider behind her, A sharp pain in the back of her head and the world went black. 

          “Shit…. I mean shoot… Harry…. Wake up, Fuck… I mean… oh sod this! HARRY YOU WAKE THE FUCK UP RIGHT NOW OR I WILL BE SHITTING IN YOUR PACK” the world slowly returned, she felt herself being shaken awake and managed to focus on Mac's worried face, 

          “Ok ok I'm awake, no need for defecation” she tried to sit up but the world swam and she almost threw up, “oh god” 

           “Ok be careful, looks like we might need to get you to a doctor” Mac said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and helping her slowly get into a sitting position, 

           “I'm fine, just give me a Stimpak and let's go” 

           “Can't boss” 

           “Why not?”

           “None left” 

           “What? That's not possible we packed about 10” she wasn't really up for mental maths right now but there was no way they were out,

           “We used two on the way there remember, run in with that radscorpion and it got us both, you thought it would be best to use one each”

           “That still leaves…. What… six?”

           "Uh something like that, I used two on each of your bullet wounds, one on your head and two for me… I got a little bit shot running in to save you” 

          “Oh… well I guess we're out of stimpaks”

          “there's more bad news”

          “Lay it on me” 

          “I have… four bullets left” 

          “That is bad” 

          “Yea… we're gonna have to take a detour. Just a small one”

          “No, no way”

          “Come on boss, I doubt he's even there right now”

          “No, we'll go to diamond city” 

          “you're welcome to walk to diamond city but since it looks like I'm gonna be half carrying you I don't think you'll get that far” 

          “Worth It, come on I can make it” she pulled herself to her knees and attempted to get up from there before being hit with another wave of nausea and dizziness and having to sit back down again, 

           “I hate to say I told you so”

           “No you don't you love it”

           “Maybe a little bit. Come on let's get you up” with one arm over Mac's shoulder and his arm wrapped around her waist the two of them managed to stumble their way through the ruins of Boston. 

\-----------------------------

          Hancock was in his office, looking over a report Amari had written about the day of the crucified drifter. It must have been the tenth time he'd read this report after insisting she write it. He wasn't a detective and he was probably pouring too much time and effort into this to still argue that it wasn't about her. Still he tried to tell himself it wasn't, It was about protecting Goodneighbour.

           He was on a particularly graphic paragraph when Fahrenheit came into the room and casually leaned against a wall watching him, “What do you want Fahr?” 

          “Nothing” 

          “Then what do you have to tell me?” 

          “Right question, thought you might like to know a certain ex housewife popsicle just came through the gates” his heart kept, images of her being there for him, having forgiven him and wanting him back flashed through his head, “Yea, thought you might want to know. Anyway she was practically dragged in by that Merc who used to haunt the VIP room. Is there something going on with them?”

           “What do you mean dragged in?” well there goes all his fantasies, 

           “I mean she could barely stand, he seemed to be enjoying the opportunity to get his hands on her. Looked like he was loving the way she was draped over him” 

           “Fuck you Farh, I know you're just trying to get a rise outta me. Where'd they go?” he was gonna kill Mac if that was true though, 

            “Daisys, seems she took them upstairs”

            “Suppose I should go see if she's alright” his bodyguard shrugged like she couldn't care less. 

\------------------------------

          Daisy had led them up to her flat above the shop and given Harry a few Stimpak, advising she use one every half hour until she felt better. The ghoul had then deposited her on the sofa to rest then gone back down to her shop, leaving the two of them alone, 

          “Mac?” Harry asked after using the first Stimpak, she had a burning question that she was honestly a bit worried to ask, 

          “Yea” the way he answered it was like he was trying to act nonplussed but it was clear he had the same anxiety about this conversation, even from where he stood on the other side of the room, 

           “Why did you shove me to one side, back then, in the firefight?” 

           “Dunno, instinct I guess”

          “But you saved me before yourself, you know I can look after myself”

          “I know, I just did it before thinking” 

          “Mac?”

          “We don't have to talk about this now”

          “I know but… we need to clear the air” 

          “We really don't”

          “Please, tell me, what did last night mean to you” 

          “Harry I…” he paused, moving over to sit by the couch she laid on. He was about to answer when heavy footsteps hit the stairs, making them both jump, 

          “Well if it isn't my favourite vault dweller and my… third favourite Merc” Hancock sauntered into the room like he owned the place and Harry filled with anger, 

           “What are you doing here Hancock?” she spat venom with the words, 

          “Wanted to check you're ok”

          “I'm ok, you can go now” he sighed at the anger in her voice and for a second Harry realised he really was hurting. He came to sit by her side, 

          “Look let me get real with you. I miss you, I know we didn't work out but I still care about you. There's no reason we can't be friends” that twinged on Harry's heart strings, she sighed, 

          “You're right, there's no point holding a grudge… friends” she stretched out a hand for him to shake, he took it and she felt that familiar spark but chose to ignore it,

           “Where you headed next?”

           “We were on our way to Cabot House before… well before this” 

           “That ain't far from here… let me come with you” 

          “That's not a good idea” it was Mac who spoke up, though Harry was ready to say pretty much the same thing. Hancock eyed the Merc suspiciously before turning back to Harry,

           “Look Harry, we've been through so much shit together I barely know how to act around you. It's only a short trip, let me figure out this friend thing”

          “Just to Cabot House?” 

          “Just to Cabot House” 

          “Then you come back here?” 

          “Then I come back here, I promise” “Ok, so long as that's it”

          “Harry, you sure about this?” Hancock flinched at the way Mac said her name and Harry was almost sure he suspected something had happened between them. She just nodded at the Merc and he sighed and backed down, watched carefully by the mayor.

\-------------------------------

          Tension ran high as the three of them walked among the debris and rusted out remains of Boston. It was true that Cabot House wasn't far from Goodneighbour but it felt like the trip would last days with the two men constantly suspicious of each other. 

           Harry just tried to ignore them and walked ahead staring up at the blue summer sky above the battered skyscrapers. She wasn't sure but it seemed to her that the apocalypse had made the seasons more intense, the summer was hotter, Autumn wetter, winter a whole lot colder. So deep in thought and trying to avoid the palpable awkwardness she didn't notice what was ahead of her until too late. The guys had stopped and were shouting at her, that's what pulled her out of the reverie just in time to spot a deathclaw eyeing her up. 

           It was a few streets away, to most people that would seem far enough but Harry knew full well how fast they could run. Eyes wide she turned on her heel and tried to run back the way she came, both the men behind her shooting at the thing in an attempt to give her time to get away. It wasn't enough and before she made it to them she felt sharp claws grab at her back, tearing through armour and flesh alike.

           She let out an ear piercing scream as the thing lifted her up, her skin ripping as it did, and slam her into the ground. The crunching of bone told her something was broken but it was like her nerves had short circuited with the pain. She could feel nothing as it lifted her again, once more bringing her crashing down where she was finally granted the reprieve of unconsciousness.

\---------------------------------

          Hancock grabbed everything he had, filling his body with a heady mix of psycho, Jet, Buffout, anything he could grab and started firing on the thing as it chased Harry. He felt adrenaline and rage running through him as he watch in agonising slowness as it lifted her screaming into the air.

          The mix of chems drove him forward even as Mac tried to hold him back. He wasn't thinking, couldn't think, he just acted like a raging ball of superhuman instinct. By the time the thing slammed Harry into the ground a second time he was on it. To this day he couldn't tell how he did it but the ghoul, fuelled by a cocktail of drugs and rage managed to grab the thing and grapple with it even as it clawed at him, ripping chunks from him. With a twist of his waist and his legs tangled up with the thing he managed to sink his knife to the hilt in the soft underside of the deathclaws neck and wrench it from one side to the other. 

           The ground, him, Harry, everything was covered in the warm sticky spray of blood and somehow Hancock managed to leap off the beast before it crashed to the ground on top of him.

           Landing on his feet he quickly threw himself towards Harry, grabbing a hold of her body and pulling it towards him. There he cradled her in his arms, the whole world crashing on top of him as her blood pooled around him. He couldn't even Fathom a life without her in it,

          “I love you I love you I love you” he repeated over and over again, rocking her in his arms. Her eyes flickered open barely, 

           “John” the weak voice had him wanting to jump for joy. Instead he grabbed his bag pulling out all his stimpaks for her, 

          “shush…. It's ok sunshine you don't need to talk” Mac appeared at their side, helping to administer the healing chems, 

           “John I love you” both men were acting in precise quick movements even if the ghouls head was still spinning with the chem cocktail,

           “I love you too sunshine, don't ever scare me like that again, I don't know what I'd do without you” 

           “John, don't leave me”

           “I'm not going anywhere, not ever again… Harry, will you be my wife” she smiled, looking blissful for a second,

          “Yes” she just managed to whisper before passing out again. Panic gripped Hancock again and he was on his feet in seconds, gripping her body to him. He ran, faster than he ever had before towards the nearest place he could think of, Cabot House.

           Mac struggled to keep up with him, breath coming fast as he lagged behind, Still desperate to make it. They rounded the corner and into the gardens of the grand house, the robots telling them to keep off the non existent grass but Hancock didn't care. He didn't even bother knocking, just shoved the door open with his shoulder and ran through to the living room, the first room he could find, 

           “HELP HER, PLEASE” he shouted to the empty room. Jack Cabot came running down the stairs, his mother appearing from another room to see what the commotion was. 

          Everything was tinted red to Hancock, their shocked faces twisted as the drugs wore off but he had done all he could. Harry was taken from him, carried upstairs by the Cabots surly bodyguard and he collapsed to the floor. Mac was by his side in seconds, 

          “Stimpaks, I got a load of Stimpaks… you're gonna need them” he held out the syringes and Hancock took them numbly, injecting them into himself with little care for where, 

          “Don't you worry dear, Jack knows what he's doing, here” the old lady, presumably Jack's mother ambled into the room carrying a tray laden with glasses and about 3 different bottles of spirits. Bless that woman,

          “I can't live without her” Hancock told the old woman, by now the drugs and the adrenaline had worn off and all he could feel was an emptiness he couldn't quite explain,

          “Like I said, Jack knows what he's doing” the woman supplied again, pouring a generous measure of whiskey and pressing it into the ghouls hand, 

           “You don't understand, I love her, she…. She just agreed to marry me and I still have to give her this” he pulled out the ring he'd been carrying with him for so long, gripping it tight, promising himself he was gonna give it to her the second she woke up. 

\--------------------------------

          Hours passed, Hancock paced and Mac, the messiest guy in the Commonwealth actually helped clean up. It was clear the Merc was on edge too but right now that didn't matter, all that mattered was Harry. 

          More hours passed, more pacing then suddenly the doors burst open and Jack came through, a tired smile on his face, 

          “She's ok” he announced to the room and everyone let out a collective sigh, “She's actually awake and asking for someone called Hancock”

           “That's me!” it actually surprised him that she would ask for him, did she remember what he'd said, what he'd asked her? 

           “Ahh good to meet you sir, you can head upstairs. I'd like to apologise for the room, It isn't often I do emergency surgeries I'm more… theoretical shall we say” he wasn't wrong about the room, as Hancock reached the top of the stairs he saw it for the first time, there were banks of computers, their lights flashing, scientific equipment was strewn everywhere but otherwise the room was bare. And there, in the centre on a table that looked more like a mortician's slab laid Harry amongst blankets and pillows.

           She looked pale, wan and bandages, white and clean, covered a lot of her body but she was smiling up at him, 

          “John” she said, her voice croaky and harsh and far too quiet for her,

          “Harry… how… how are you feeling” 

          “Like a deathclaw used me as a basketball… I remember in case you were wondering” 

          “Have you changed your mind?”

          “No, I love you and I always will… we're gonna have to set some ground rules but that's for later”

          “In that case…” he reached into his pocket while getting down on one knee awkwardly by the table, “this is for you” 

          “how? How did you get this?” she took.the ring from him, marvelling at it,

          “I have my sources” 

          “How long have you been planning this?” 

          “Well I didn't plan the whole nearly dying from deathclaw thing. Honestly I didn't really… well I didn't know if I wanted to but when I saw that thing grab you, when I had to think about a world without you in it, that's when I decided” he stood to put the ring on her since she could barely move for herself.

           To both their surprise somehow it fit and there it sat on her finger looking right, like it was meant to be there. Hancock flushed with happiness and just grinned and leaned down to kiss his future wife. It wasn't long enough before Jack came through the door and shooed him away, arguing that the patient needs rest. Hancock reluctantly left her side, his face splitting in a huge smile he was sure wouldn't leave for a while.  



	14. Valentine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once Harry is healed the gang and Jack Cabot head to the asylum, only to find one body that isn’t like the others, this time with Shaun’s bottle. It’s decided that this is the final straw and since they’re close to Diamond City the gang visit Valentine to get some assistance in figuring out what’s going on.

          It was a few days before Harry was well enough to roam about the house. in the meantime the family had been lovely, setting her up with a room to share with Hancock. And god wasn't it luxurious? Clean sheets and a soft mattress, freshly painted walls, a smell of clean linen and flowers rather than rot and blood. For a few seconds each morning she woke up wondering if this had all been a dream, if she was back in 2077 and none of this had happened. An idea that scared her as much as it left her relieved.

          Mac had returned to sanctuary by the second day, telling anyone who would listen that the house made him uncomfortable. But Hancock, he'd been by her side every moment, his easy smiles and warmth bringing her back to her old self. By the fourth day stalking the fine wood lined halls of this strangely perfect home she was feeling restless and planned to tell Jack and his mother, Wilhelmina, that she was ready to leave. Descending the great stairs into the livingroom, Hancock at her side, she walked into an argument,

          “But she's been gone for weeks” Wilhelmina scolded Jack,

          “Mother I don't have time for this” he sounded truly exasperated, “you know she'll come back with her tail between her legs eventually”

           “How can you care so little about your own sister?” sister? Jack had a sister? That explained the spare room, though it was bare of all personal touches other than the computer Harry had been too polite to snoop through (even if she could probably bypass the security with ease),

          “Wilhelmina, I'll deal with this” Edward, the commanding ghoul, finally spoke up. The older woman finally calmed down, patting Edward on the arm before leaving the room, casting an angry glare at Jack,

          “Edward, you'll only encourage her” Jack told his bodyguard who only sighed,

          “I can help” Harry approached from her spot on the stairs, where she had stopped to watch in uncomfortable awe,

          “No, no, You need to rest” her doctor told her but when was the last time she'd listened to a doctor?

          “I've been resting for days, I feel fine and I've put upon you too much”

          “Let me look at you” she felt Hancock tense when Jack immediately put a hand on her without waiting for an answer. He turned her this way and that, At one point lifting her shirt to look at her back. That guy really needed to get better at reading people, “alright, I'll allow it. Talk to Edward”

           “Thanks” Harry said to his retreating back before turning to face the ghoul bodyguard,

           “It's Emogine, Jack's younger sister… she goes off for weeks at a time sometimes but even I think she's been gone too long this time”

          “Emogine… I know that name. Young thing, blonde, used to hang out at the third rail. Word is she took off with some preacher guy who runs a cult down by the river” Hancock added, trust him to know everything that goes on in Goodneighbour even when he isn't there,

          “Well that's as good a place as any to start” Harry said, giving her fiance a smile (and didn't that sound weird, fiance).

\------------------------------------

          What a shit show, Hancock thought to himself. It turned out Emogine was exactly where he expected, only the preacher guy had locked her up and wasn't ready to let her go anywhere. The whole damn congregation had ended up fighting them on their way to get the Cabot girl.

          Harry had held up great, it gave him a rush to watch her fight again after so long. Despite her injuries she was still graceful, long limbs moving like a dancer, every motion smooth and calculated. Perfection. And all his. They got her in the end, though Emogine hadn't exactly ran straight home, neither had she looked like a younger sister.

          To add insult to near injury once back at Cabot House they walked right into another disaster and were straight out the door to the asylum again, Jack in tow.

          “I haven't been entirely honest with you” Cabot monologued as they ran at full speed towards the imposing building, “my father is held in that building and has been for almost 400 years. You see he found evidence of a civilisation much older than our own, a piece of headwear. The fool put it on and, sadly, it drove him insane. I made a serum from his blood that has halted the aging process of our whole family so I can work on a cure”

            “You sure it's not just about living forever?” Hancock asked, a little ashamed at how quickly he accepted what Jack was saying,

          “On the contrary, I'm tired, I would give anything to leave this world but my father is too dangerous to allow to go free” Jack stopped when they reached the doors of the huge, dark building and looked over his little group. Hancock wasn't sure what the man was thinking but his face screwed up unpleasantly when he looked at Harry, “these raiders may have taken some of the serum, that means they will be stronger than those you are used to. Miss Monroe are you sure you are ready for this?”

           “There's no way I'm letting you two have all the fun” she smiled at the two of them, “besides I've been doing well up to now, I think I'm good”

          “You sure sunshine?” the memory of her broken body after the deathclaw attack was enough for Hancock to be unusually cautious,

           “Yup, just you try and stop me”

           “That's my girl!”

           “Fiance”

          “That's my Fiance”

\------------------------------------

          After fighting through what felt like hundreds of supercharged raiders in the main Halls Harry was feeling a bit worse for wear. Exhaustion was biting at her heels when Jack dragged them down into a tunnel that clearly marked the staff only part of the asylum. Back here the walls were plain battered wood, the floors much the same and boxes and other trash was piled up all over. It only took a few well placed shots, helped by Harry's pip boy light to take out a couple of radroaches before moving on to the next room. In there it was even less glamorous, concrete steps led down to a dirt floor in a high ceilinged room.

          The others moved on ahead when Harry stopped dead in her tracks, above her, lit by the sickly green light was a view she was getting too used to. Another body of an unnamed woman was crucified against the wood of the wall, near the ceiling, barbed wire cutting into the vault suit she wore,

          “John” her voice wobbled, giving away the tears that almost fell from her eyes, “Hancock…”

          “What's wrong love?” she could hear the worry in his voice as he walked over to her and followed her gaze “shit”

           “Another one”

          “Just like in Goodneighbour”

          “And the creamery”

          “What?” Hancock looked at her confused,

          “When I was out with Mac, this is the third. John someone is after me and they're hurting so many people”

          “We don't have time for this” Jack's irritated voice pulled them both out of the dark hole they were heading down,

          “He's right, deal with one thing at a time, these raiders need killing, then we'll come look at this ok?” Hancock was being oddly reasonable, she just nodded and allowed him to lead her.

\----------------------------------

           Lorenzo was dead, it hadn't really been a choice in the end, set some unknown evil free into the commonwealth or kill him and they had chosen. That wasn't what was playing on Hancock's mind. Every time he looked over at Harry she looked numb, like she was just going through the motions until she could break down and he didn't blame her. Three bodies looking like her, each with her vault suits, all of them murdered horribly. The first two had had one of Shaun's things on them and they had to get this one down to find out if it did too.

          The next hour was grizzly work, the both of them ended up cut up by the barbed wire and covered in this unknown woman's blood. The body was fresh, only a day old at most and the blood was still sticky if not still wet in places. He'd heard Harry gag a few times but they had carried on working in silence until the body laid on the floor in front of them,

          “I should… search her or something” Harry's voice faltered as she looked down at the body,

           “I can do it if you can't, won't be the first body I've gone through”

           “It just feels disrespectful. She died because of me, not because she was some evil person or a danger, just because someone wants to get at me”

          “Yea and I imagine she wants that person caught, best way to do that is search her”

          “I know” she bent down in front of the vault suit clad body, unfortunately that was the moment the tears chose to finally came.

           Hancock, his heart tugging uncomfortably knelt down beside his love and put an arm round her. She almost knocked him off his feet when she threw herself against his body and just let the tears flow,

          “Shush baby, it's ok” he muttered along with other meaningless things while she sobbed into his chest,

          “It's all because of me” came a muffled wailing,

          “Hey” he pretty much yelled, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her away from his body to look at her, “don’t you dare for one second blame yourself you hear me? Some sick monster did this and this is exactly what they want you to do. You're a victim here so don't go blaming yourself… now what we need to do is focus and work on getting this sick arsehole stopped not blaming ourselves ok?”

          “Yes… ok” she sniffled a few more times, wiping away tears before she seemed calm enough for Hancock to let go of her and look at the body again. It surprised neither of them to find a glass baby bottle nestled in the chest of the vault suit, it was even engraved “Shaun Monroe”

          “I think we need Valentine” he said, looking over the blood soaked thing in his hands.

\-----------------------------------

          Nick Valentine looked up from his papers with pleasant surprise when Harry and John walked into his office, standing up quickly and a little clumsily. These days, though no ghouls yet lived in the city it was easy for one to just stroll through the gates, Piper had made sure of that. After the synth masquerading as Hancock's brother had been killed Nick and Piper took over until a new mayor could be found and made some (hopefully permanent) changes.

          “What brings you two to my end of the commonwealth?” the detective asked, hugging both of them,

          “It's not good Nick” Harry admitted, sitting in a chair he had gestured at,

          “I'd like to see you at some point when there isn't something dramatic happening you know”

          “That would mean finding two seconds where our lives aren't dramatic Nick” Hancock was right of course, the synth just shook his head with a chuckle,

          “I suppose you're right. What can I help you with then?”

          “Someone is… messing with me” Harry looked over at where her ghoul stood in the corner out of the way, He gave her a sad smile and nodded for her to continue, “there's been three bodies, each with a vault 111 suit and each with something of Shaun's, from when he was a baby”

          “Hummmm… so it is clearly aimed at you. How would someone get a hold of those things I wonder?”

          “When I first got out I brought a load of suits with me and sold them… six I think. I kept a couple so it may have been less but someone could track them down I suppose”

          “Awful lot of work to go through. What about Shaun's things?”

          “Well that's the strange thing, someone broke into the red rocket and took them, but they didn't set off any of the turrets or other security measures” The synth looked thoughtful for a while, plastic brows pulled together, metal hand running along his chin,

          “Harry, start from the beginning and explain everything. Any little detail could help” So she did, explaining everything from Bobby's arrival at Sanctuary to the strange positioning of the bodies, the drifters looking like her and the locations of each. It drained her, having to go through it all again just like when she had sat here before a whole lifetime ago explaining about her kidnapped son. In the end it was decided Nick would look at the latest body then meet up with the pair in Sanctuary. Hopefully the great detective could come up with some answers, all they had to do was wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still alive and determined to finish this story no matter how slow it goes.
> 
> I don't know if I've mentioned this before but I always saw Jack Cabot as being a little autistic. He never seems to read social queues apart from when they come from Edward and even then it's only sometimes. I tried to write him like that a little while I doubt the people of the commonwealth would have any name to put to it.


	15. Honesty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentine comes up with a lead on what could be going on. The real question is how honest is Harry going to be with John.

          Days later Harry was restless waiting for Valentine in Sanctuary. The daily grind, the routine, the peacefulness of the place was driving her insane whilst she just wanted get this mess over with. Every day she would wander up to the town and do anything she could to make herself busy. So far she, with the help of others, had built a new cafeteria space, organised the crop planting and harvesting schedule for the next two years and set up supply lines between some of the remotest settlements. Each night she would leave civilisation altogether and come back bloody, carcasses of anything edible slung over her shoulder like some kind of stone age tribes woman.

          Thankfully it was less than a week before the detective showed up. He stopped into the red rocket looking a little worse for wear, his clothes more ragged than usual and bags under his eyes (which was surprisingly possible) cigarette dangling from his lips,

          “So I looked around that asylum place, I'll tell you, it wasn't easy to get into” straight down to business then,

          “Don't you wanna rest up a bit before you talk shop Nick?” Hancock offered, the synth looked over at Harry and must have seen the urgency in her eyes,

           “Nah, I've had worse and it looks like the two of you need answers as soon as” she was thankful for that even when she had the urge to force her friend to rest, her need to sort this out fighting with her caring nature,

           “I think talk this out then rest?” she suggested,

           “Yea maybe, but I want to get up to Sanctuary and ask around a bit soon”

           “Why Sanctuary, nothing has happened here yet” and didn't that ‘yet’ just hurt, the idea of the peaceful little village being rocked by a gruesome murder haunted her,

           “Well here's what I've figured out” the synth began “whoever is doing this went to a lot of trouble, managed to sneak into not only Goodneighbour but a very well guarded building without being noticed. On top of that there hasn't exactly been news about these kinds of bodies cropping up elsewhere, just wherever you are Harry”

           “What does that mean?”

           “It means whoever is doing this is not just aiming to scare you, they also know your movements ahead of time, they know where you're going and when”

           “Shit… you think someone from Sanctuary is doing this?” Hancock asked, eyes worried and moving between the two of them. Harry's heart ran cold for a second,

           “No it can't be, I trust them all” she said,

           “Do you really love?” her ghoul asked and she took a moment to really think about it. New people had been piling into the little town, shacks popping up like mushrooms and while she trusted the core settlers, Preston and Surges, Mamma Murphy and Vault Tec Rep there were so many new faces. The answer was no, she didn't trust everyone there, didn't even really know everyone there,

          “It may not be that bad” Valentine interrupted her thoughts and she looked up at him, her face instantly clearing the troubled expression, “it's more probable that someone is either informing the real culprit or there's someone watching the town, listening in”

            “That… that makes me feel a little better” she deflated, some of the worry lifting just a little,

           “Whatever the case may be I need to ask around town, see if anyone knows anything or has seen anything suspicious”

          “Thanks Nick, I'll take you up there when you're ready” Harry offered,

          “It's probably best I go alone, more chance of honesty when the General isn't looming over them. I'll go now, probably be back in a few hours that way”

           “Are you not gonna rest?” the synth just shook his head at her and smiled before heading out the door. Hancock sidled up behind her and wrapped his warm arms around her waist,

           “It's all gonna be alright you know” he said, his lips set on the top of her head,

           “I'm not so sure”

\--------------------------------------

           A few hours passed like days before Nick came back, by the time he turned up the vaultie had almost worn a track in the concrete with her pacing. The whole time her ghoul sat and watched doing all he could to reassure her. It wasn't much. She stopped and looked at Nick's worried face, clearly it was bad news,

           “Can I talk to you alone?” he asked immediately, looking apologetically at Hancock. The ghoul looked ready to argue until Harry put a hand on his shoulder and nodded.

           Growling a little Hancock backed down and lowered himself back into the chair allowing the two of them to pass through into the kitchen area.

           Maneuvering around the breakfast counter Harry pulled open the battered but working fridge. In fact everything in this place was working if a little dinged up, she'd dragged so many if the parts halfway across the commonwealth herself. Nuka bottle now in hand she looked around the room with tenderness, home, it felt like home,

            “Uhum” the synth cleared his throat pointedly, “not trying to drag this out to avoid bad news are you?”

           “Maybe, a little” she looked sheepish for a moment before leaning on one side of the counter while Nick took a seat opposite her,

           “You didn't give me all the facts” “What do you mean?”

            “Hancock, he's been in a fight correct?” it was clear he was trying to wheedle this information out of her, like a parent asking if there's anything you want to tell them when they know full well what you've done,

           “Fine” she sighed, giving in “I assume you know about Bobby then?”

           “I know he's new, I know he has an unknown past and I know about what happened here his first night… I also know that Hancock doesn't trust him”

           “That's no excuse for what happened”

           “I know I know, I don't condone Hancock's reaction but I have to say I agree with him. I talked to the kid and I don't trust him either, he's not being totally honest and it's too big a coincidence… there's a chance he could be involved”

          “Nick he's so young, barely even 17, he can't have done all this”

          “According to Preston he sometimes goes missing at night, despite being watched closely. I suspect he's not the mastermind at all and just a mole… I intend to follow him and find out who is”

           “I want to come”

          “Of course… when he moves I'll let you know. What are you going to tell John?”

          “The truth, I've kept too many secrets from him already and it nearly destroyed us, I won't keep him in the dark about this”

           “Well good luck, I just hope he doesn't blow this whole thing”

           “He won't, Thank you Nick” Harry hopped around the counter and pulled her friend into a deep hug, she really was thankful for his help and for him just being there when she needed him, “You're a good friend”

\--------------------------------------

          “So more secrets then?” Hancock was sat with one arm flung over the back of the tatty red sofa, head turned towards her a brow raised. He wasn't angry, not really, just goading Harry into reacting even if it was a little cruel,

          “For now there's a couple” she said unapologetically, “until I tell you”

          “Alright, I'm listening”

          “Nick has… a theory” she came around to sink on the sofa, tucking herself under his arm and looking nervously up at him, “Let me guess, that kid is involved”

          “Bobby. Nick thinks so, apparently he's been sneaking off at night”

           “I ain't gonna say I told you so…” she made to interrupt him and for a moment he got angry, rolling his eyes and raising a hand to quiet the woman under his arm, “I know, that wasn't what you were angry about. I get it, in your settlements you're in charge and whatever decision you make Ì should go with”

          “Thank you” she smiled and the anger just melted away, at least until she spoke again, “there's something else, since we're doing this honesty thing”

           “What?” he asked suspiciously and she looked away, fingers running through each other with nerves “Harry?”

           “I'm sorry John… I don't know how to say it”

           “Say what? What did you do?”

           “I… I thought we were over… we would have been over if… if you hadn't… I just wanted someone to… be there for me”

           “Look sunshine… I ain't gonna be mad at you if something happened when we weren't together” she looked up at him, big eyes brimming with tears,

           “Me and Mac… we came across another body, I was scared and sad and so lonely. We got drunk and… had sex”

            “You fucked Mac?” she only nodded, struggling to look him in the eye and ohh there's the anger again, Hancock leapt to his feet “I'm gonna fucking kill him”

           “What? NO! It was my fault”

           “Oh sunshine it ain't you I'm mad at. He didn't even… you get drunk, you're fragile and what does he do? He takes fucking advantage of you”

           “No… it wasn't like that… I started it, it was me, I wanted comfort” he shook his head at her, and charged out before Harry could stop him.

\-----------------------------

           Harry didn't know what to do, she stood alone, the front grates of the garage open on such a warm day feeling like a cavernous mouth ready to swallow her whole. She knew Hancock solved things with violence, it was one of the things she loved about him, it made her feel safe when all the world around her was so broken. But life was different now, sure it still had moments of danger and desperation and sure Harry was always so scared without him but… did Hancock really fit here, in the life of calm settlements and peaceful days.

           She sighed, finally deciding to follow the path towards Sanctuary and face him. Only, once she found the two men, surprisingly in the bar, she was shocked to see them sat side by side against the rough wooden bar top, neither noticing her,

           “Um… hi guys” she said nervously, both turning in their stools to look at her, drinks still in hand. Mac looked almost unharmed other than a black eye slowly forming on his face, John however was grinning like a fool,

           “Hey sunshine”

           “This isn't exactly what I was expecting to find, are you alright Mac?”

           “Yea” the Merc laughed to himself, “got to feel Hancocks right hook first hand though”

           “What… what happened?”

           “He just charged in here and fuc-friggin landed one on me” Mac began, “idiot that I am I went for him”

            “Yea, idiot's right” the ghoul chimed in, “didn't land a single punch. No wonder you fight from so far away”

           “Shut up man” the Merc punched him in the arm almost like they were best friends and hadn't just had a fight, “anyway, barman split us up, said if we keep going were out of the bar, maybe even Sanctuary”

           “We sat down, had a drink, talked… sorted it out”

           “So everything I said wasn't good enough but a quick chat with Mac and it's all fine?” she put a hand on her hip and stared the two men down,

            “Nah nothing like that, the kid explained what happened, the fact that you were so upset, that one thing led to another and he just wanted to comfort you… I'm not happy I gotta say but his heart was in the right place I guess. It's not that I didn't believe you love, just I know you tend to blame yourself”

          “I'm sorry Harry, I just… you were drunk and I should have tried harder to stop you” Mac honestly looked heartbroken,

          “Mac it's ok, I was in a bad place and I'm glad you were there for me but… I don't want this to make things weird… friends still?”

          “Yea, friends” he looked at her sadly, like he'd almost won the lottery but got the runners up prize instead.

         The truth was Harry just didn't love him like that, he was a friend and treasured for that but nothing more. She wished so much in her life had been different but her friends were one thing she'd never change, “I love you Mac, you know that, just… not in that way”

           “I know… oh fu-frick come here” he stood up from the stool and wrapped his skinny arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. She could see Hancock over his shoulder lifting one eyebrow and smirking.

           Once the Merc let her go she joined them at the bar, ordering a whiskey and the three sat in silence for some time,

           “So what's going on with this mystery, I noticed Valentine poking around earlier” Mac asked, finally breaking the stillness of the room,

           “We shouldn't say too much but… Nick is gonna come get us and we're going on a little… field trip I guess you could call it”

          “When?”

          “Dunno, depends when he comes and gets us” Harry downed a glass with a sigh, Hancock looking at her with the cogs obviously turning in his mind,

           “Probably shouldn't drink too much sunshine, just in case” Harry listened and with a sigh put the glass down and ordered a Nuka cola instead,

           “Happy?”

           “Yea… happy” the ghoul grinned at her, though he wasn't looking directly at her face, instead at the hand holding the bottle and the sparkle of the ring on it. Harry got the feeling he was talking about more than just her drink.


	16. So Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group follow Bobby but it doesn't quite lead to answers. One step at a time.

          It was a good few days before Valentine came for them, in the middle of the night with no warning and Hancock was starting to go mad with nerves. He just wanted this over for Harry's sake and it was practically driving him mad. By the time the old synth did turn up he was wound tight enough to snap at anything but he knew he had to hold it in, ignore the urge to charge straight into a fight. This was Harry's thing more than his, her story and he was just a character in it. He had to play it her way,

          “Ok sunshine, what's the plan?” he asked looking at what he could only describe as her ‘war face’ the determination warned his old heart, made him realise they had this,

          “We gotta go, follow the kid till we find out who's doing this”

          “I left Mac keeping an eye on him but there's definitely something happening, kid was packing up a bag for travel” Nick spoke up,

          “Ok let's go find Mac. This is our chance” she said, nodding at the two men who immediately grabbed their weapons.

          Hancock picked up their pre packed bags, they had no idea how far they would have to travel so had put them together with a days worth of everything when this plan first hatched. He passed one to her, making sure to paint his usual cocky smirk on his face as he looked at her. She seemed reassured, silently smiling her thanks at him. They marched off into the night.

          “He's moving, but slowly” was the first thing Mac said to them when they found him on the outskirts of town. He was laid on the ground not far from the vault entrance, looking through his scope, “looks like he's been using that little bridge to get off the island without being noticed but he's clearly not used to travel”

          “Thanks Mac, wanna leave it to us or come with” Harry whispered to him, she'd feel better with a team but sneaking was so.much easier with less people,

          “Nah you guys go ahead, sneaking will be easier” the Merc mirrored her more practical sentiments and wished them well before vanishing back into the trees.

\-------------------------------------------

          Harry put her rifles scope to her eye and easily spotted the boy. Mac was right, he was slowly and delicately picking his way over the rough terrain like he was afraid of falling and had no idea he was being watched.

          “let's catch up, try to stay hidden and quiet but the kid has no idea about looking for tails” she found she easily slipped into the detective lingo with Nick around, honestly she liked it, playing pretend that she was in some detective noir and not the devastation soaked wasteland. They followed the kids slow progress, always sticking to cover just far enough behind to not be spotted, darting from one hiding place to another. Like old times again.

            After almost an hour of this they came across a cabin, it was small but in fairly good shape and Harry knew it immediately. The last time she was here it had been surrounded by feral ghouls with a glowing one in a small cavern underneath, dug out of the earth itself. She noticed the ghoul corpses were gone now and someone had planted a small garden of crops, not enough for a whole settlement but too much for one family. Strange, perhaps they hoped to sell them?

          She signalled to the other two to stop and crept her way closer alone until she could hear muffled voices. Bobby was in there talking to what sounded like an older man. A bit closer and she could make out what they were saying,

           “a Synth?” the older voice asked, “could it be turned to our cause?”

          “I don't think so, it's real old and from what I've heard has a pre war cops memories implanted in it's head” this was Bobby,

          “Strange, I didn't know anything like that existed. And what of her”

          “She's on edge, back with that ghoul and they seem to be settling down here, at least for a while”

          “Humm perhaps it is time to bring things a little closer to home. It might be time I gave you a few extra tasks”

          “No”

          “No? What do you mean no?”

          “No I won't, I don't want to do this anymore and I won't be doing anything else. Look she's not some monster like you think, she really takes care of her people and she just took me in with barely any questions. She even ended her relationship with that ghoul because he hurt me”

           “I can't believe what I'm hearing. Don't you care about what she did? Don't you want revenge for your family?”

          “I care, I just… maybe she did it for a reason we are too blind to see. She's a good person, not some monster”

          “Well no mind. If you won't help I'll find some other way, send someone else in and I can tell you now the first thing they'll do is make sure you no longer have a home there and don't for a second think of coming back here” there was silence for a worrying moment and Harry for a second thought the man had killed Bobby, then she heard him sigh loudly,

          “Fine, but know that I don't like it. I just want to leave these people in peace”

           “You know what to do”

           “Yea” after a shuffling sound the door banged open and she was forced to hide. An image flashed before her eyes of Hancock, the boys throat between his hands crushing the life from him. Filled with worry she rushed towards the other two, struggling to stay unseen, before they could do anything to the kid.

           Sliding up to them and skidding almost into her ghoul she breathlessly tried to explain but based on the confused looks it hadn't made sense,

            “Bobby… not bad… have to stop… don't hurt” she managed, Hancock still looked confused but Nick smiled at her, his face lit with understanding,

          “What do you mean good?” John asked her, his voice ripe with accusation,

           “That man, he threatened him, Bobby doesn't want to do this but he threatened him”

          “Ok, what is it we need to stop” Nick asked, “They're going to do it again, only here and…. He said bring it closer to home. Nick he's going to hurt someone. We have to find him, stop him”

           “Alright, why are we standing around here then?” Hancock cocked his gun with a grin and set off towards Sanctuary, the two of them following behind.

\----------------------------------------------

          That little shit, he was after Cait. Clearly the redhead brawler was a close enough fit for Harry to earn her a horrible death and didn't that just make it close to home. Unlikely though, they watched as the inexperienced kid snuck around the house, slipping in through a window, knife bare and sadness in his eyes.

          Hancock knew that feeling, he'd seen it so many times before, too many people in this world had been forced to take a life and seeing it there, on someone he had distrusted so much sank into his stomach like magnesium. He cast a half hearted smile towards Harry and Nick and set off towards the house.

          They burst through the roughly cobbled together front door just in time to hear a scuffle in Caits bedroom. Clearly Bobby had underestimated her and they heard him crying out in pain and unintelligible shouts from her before they got to the scene,

          “What the fuck do you think ya doin?” Cait turned angry wrath upon them from where she stood over the boy, broken arm still held over his face from where he lay prone on the floor, knife across the room and well out of his reach. He hadn't expected his target to keep a mean looking baseball bat with her at all times, one that was now facing them down. Hancock lowered his gun and, reluctantly Cait did the same with her bat.

          Honestly he wasn't sure who would have won in a fight between Cait and himself, had he not taken her out complealty with the first shot he'd have no way of stopping her,

          “We need to talk to him” Harry gently moved him aside and stepped to the front, “you come along Cait, you deserve answers as much as we do”

          “He needs a doctor” Nicks voice from the hall was concerned and, for once Hancock could mirror that concern, the boy needed help,

          “Ok, Nick you help him and Cait to the clinic, I'll go wake the doc” Harry gestured for the ghoul to follow her, leaving Nick behind to deal with the injured and the angry. Once outside Harry spoke in a hushed tone as they walked towards the doctors house, just past the makeshift clinic, “I need to know how you're feeling, if there's going to be anything I have to worry about”

          “Did you see his face before he went through the window”

          “Yea” she said, looking up at him with big sad eyes,

          “You got nothing to worry about from me sunshine, I think I could have been wrong about that one”

           “Good… Thank you John” she smiled at him, a tired but real smile, they were so.close to answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short one this time but we're getting close to the end.

**Author's Note:**

> As always please point out any corrections you think of and comment and kudos if you like what you see. I had a hell of a lot of fun writing these two love birds last time and all the love for them both inspired me!


End file.
